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Natufians

A clay bead from the Final Natufian period in Eynan-Mallaha (northern Israel), colored red with ochre and marked with the fingerprints of a child (roughly 10 years old) who modeled it 12,000 years ago. (Laurent Davin/Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
March 24, 2026, 2:15 pm
Largest prehistoric bead cache, found in northern Israel, is a window into early artisans
A new study shows that Natufian adults and children crafted jewelry 12,000 years ago shaped like the plants they ate, in one of the earliest documented symbolic uses of clay
By Rossella Tercatin
A 12,000-year-old Natufian clay figurine from the Nahal Ein Gev II archaeological site near the Sea of Galilee, depicting a woman and a goose, and an artistic reconstruction of the scene. Its discovery was announced in a PNAS study on November 17, 2025. (Laurent Davin/Hebrew University)
November 17, 2025, 10:50 pm
Goose bumps: 12,000-year-old figurine from Israel shows surreal woman-bird mating scene
Tiny clay sculpture unearthed at Nahal Ein Gev in the Galilee is the earliest known figurine depicting human-animal interaction, as documented by study in prestigious PNAS journal
By Rossella Tercatin
Excavations at the El-Wad Cave terrace on Mt. Carmel in Northern Israel reveals layers of Natufian history, offering a window into life 15,000 years ago. In the image, a reconstruction of how the Carmel plain might have looked like at the time. (El-Wad Terrace Excavations)
November 16, 2025, 7:53 am
15,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers in Israel’s Carmel plain dined on duck all winter
Researchers from the University of Haifa analyze hundreds of waterfowl bones from site and determine the land was marshy and dotted with lakes
By Rossella Tercatin
Researchers with the University of Haifa dig up Natufian remains in the Mount Carmel area of northern Israel. (Courtesy/Reuven Yeshurun, University of Haifa)
June 12, 2020, 1:15 pm
Israeli researchers find first evidence ancient humans ate snakes, lizards
University of Haifa archaeologists say residents of Mount Carmel snacked on reptiles some 15,000 years ago, possibly as part of transition to sedentary lifestyle
By Luke Tress
Illustrative: Close-up of a 12,000-year-old human burial embedded in the white material found in the Ein Gev cave. (courtesy)
December 6, 2019, 9:33 am
12,000-year-old Galilee artifacts reset plaster production clock by 2 millennia
Scientific study of plaster used in cemetery near Ein Gev indicates community must have worked together to bury their deceased, shedding new light on ritual and mass production
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
Microscopic traces of ancient starches extracted from the Raqefet Cave (left) are compared to the references Stanford University Prof. Li Liu and her research replicated in their beer brewing experiments. (Credit: Li Liu)
September 12, 2018, 7:18 pm
13,000-year-old brewery discovered in Israel, the oldest in the world
Ancient Natufians tamed seven species of wild grains for ancient ale, according to new Stanford University study
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
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