An Early Neolithic Village in the Jordan Valley, part 2, The Fauna of Netiv Hagdud.

AuthorBourke, Stephen J.

Tchernov has written a most important final report on the fauna from the small PPNA Jordan Valley settlement of Netiv Hagdud. It is all the more impressive for the relatively short gap between the end of fieldwork and the publication (eight years), since the excavation was originally undertaken as a short-term rescue excavation, and for the crucial importance of the archaeological material so recovered. It is a companion volume to the traditional report on material culture (Bar-Yosef and Gopher 1994), and although not vital, having the archaeological commentary to hand when reading Tchernov's detailed analysis is an advantage.

The search for the origins of sedentary lifestyles in the southern Levant has long centered on the Natufian period (Bar Yosef and Valla 1991 and refs.), but most Natufian sites excavated and adequately published are of the Early Natufian period (13000-11000 BP). As the faunal and botanical evidence painstakingly recovered from such sites remains stubbornly equivocal in most sensitive analyses (Edwards 1989 and refs.), attention is shifting towards the Late Natufian/PPNA sequences. PPNA sites are rare, and whilst the number excavated grows steadily, the final publication of any PPNA site is a major event (Bar-Yosef 1989).

The interpretation of delicately nuanced assemblages of faunal material is central to any judgment on degree and nature of sedentarization, and Tchernov, a central commentator in much recent morphological and theoretical debate on the use of faunal evidence in sedentarization arguments (Tchernov 1992 and refs.), is well aware of the pitfalls and perils awaiting the overconfident analyst. He is perhaps the ideal person to present this detailed description and painstaking comparative analysis of the faunal material from PPNA Netiv Hagdud.

This is an excellent and very detailed analysis. Following introductory remarks, there are two main parts, "Systematic Palaeontology" (pp. 9-60, divided into mollusca, arthropoda and vertebrata) and "Evaluations" (pp. 61-94, with sections on taphonomy, animal exploitation, site comparative analyses and conclusions). The first will be read with attention by palaeo-zoologists working in the Middle East, and the second with interest by Levantine prehistorians.

There is little with which to take issue in the descriptive section, which is detailed, thorough and clear. Tchernov's demonstration of the central role of microfaunal analysis in arguments on seasonality and...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT