Table 1.
Approximate chronology of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic in the Levant.
Fig 1.
Location of the study region (black square) and some key Neolithic sites.
The red line delimits the Fertile Crescent; the green circle delimits the single core region according to some authors [3]; and the yellow circles indicate the different core regions according to others [7]. Note that due to the density of sites in the study region, names have been abbreviated: SH = Shir; KE = Ain el-Kerkh; QA = Qaramel; GR = Gritille; AK = Akarçay; A3 = ‘Abr 3; HL = Halula; DJ = Dja’de; JA = Jerf el Ahmar; MU = Mureybet; AH = Abu Hureyra; BO = Bouqras; NÇ = Nevalı Çori; GÖ = Göbekli; SK = Seker al-Aheimar; and SA = Sabi Abyad.
Fig 2.
Summed probability distribution of 450 14C dates.
Generated in CalPal [30] using IntCal04 calibration curve.
Fig 3.
Summed probability distribution of each settlement analyzed.
Generated in CalPal [30] using IntCal04 calibration curve.
Fig 4.
Summed probability distribution of 450 14C dates.
Generated in CalPal [30] using the IntCal04 calibration curve and in OxCal [31] using the IntCal13 calibration curve (upper segments) and summed probability distribution of both settlement groups (coloured in green and blue) analyzed separately but displayed together in the same chart for comparison (lower segments). Note that even though computer implementations are different, the results are the same, strengthening the reliability of our observations.
Fig 5.
The history of the settlements in the studied region from ca. 10,600 to 8,500 cal BP.
Fig 6.
Settlement type, architecture and internal organization.
Note the major differences between Göbekli (above) and Halula (below).
Fig 7.
Diagram of the off-set bidirectional blade reduction sequence.
For details about the most diagnostic products and traits, see Borrell [37].
Fig 8.
The spatial distribution of the off-set bidirectional strategy in the northern Levant.
Core areas and the area of circulation of its products during the Middle/Late PPNB. The earlier settlements are also marked on the map in order to show that they are all located within this same area.
Fig 9.
Evidence for crops and wild progenitors in the Euphrates valley and neighbouring regions/study area (modified from ref. [24]). The chronological time span of each site has not been altered from that on the original chart but adapted to cal BP. *Note that, in this summary authors did not consider data on morphologically domestic two-grained einkorn at Mureybet IV conclusive enough to be included, while it has been in other publications [9].
Fig 10.
Palaeoclimate proxies from both the Eastern Mediterranean and the North Atlantic.
Note the synchrony between 1) the 10.2 cal ky BP RCC and the marked decrease in the archaeological signal in the northern Levant, and 2) the boost observed in the archaeological signal and the beginning of the early Holocene sapropel S1 period (modified from ref. [70]).