Intra- and Inter-Site Geometrical High-Resolution Analyses of Deep Natufian Bedrock Mortars

Summary

Bedrock features such as mortars and cupmarks are known in the southern Levant at least from the late 1920's. Many were dated to the Natufian and the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A periods (15,000-10,500 calBP). Likely, the appearance of large and diverse bedrock feature assemblages, reflecting a variety of functions, has played an integral role in the earliest transition from hunting-gathering to food producing economies.

So far, research was limited due to the lack of precise documentation of these complex features. Recent advances in photogrammetry provide new methods for high-resolution three-dimensional documentation even of deep narrow shafts. We have recently published the first relevant protocol, where the characterization of each feature is based on a high-resolution 3D model and includes its dimensions, volume, shape of the rim and the shaft, symmetry and regularity. Here, we extend our analysis and use our characterization method to analyze and compare deep mortars from Natufian sites in two ecological settings: Raqefet Cave (Mt. Carmel) and Rosh Zin (Negev Highland). Our goals are to characterize several mortars in each site, and then conduct intra- and inter-site comparisons. This is the first attempt of its kind, and results are assessed against the Natufian economic and social background.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Bedrock features (mortars, slicks and grooves): Documentation, analysis and interpretation

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