Climate and environmental reconstruction of the Epipaleolithic Mediterranean Levant (22.0-11.9 ka cal. BP)

This study presents, for the first time, an environmental reconstruction of a sequence spanning nearly the entire Mediterranean Epipaleolithic (similar to 22.0-11.9 ka cal. BP). The study is based on a well-dated, high-resolution pollen record recovered from the waterlogged archaeological site Jordan River Dureijat (JRD), located on the banks of Paleolake Hula. JRD's continuous sequence enabled us to build a pollen-based paleoclimate model providing a solid background for the dramatic cultural changes that occurred in the region during this period. Taxonomic identification of the waterlogged wood assemblage collected from JRD was used to fine-tune the paleoenvironmental reconstruction. The chronological framework is based on radiocarbon dating and the typology of archaeological findings. The LGM (similar to 22-19 ka cal. BP) was found to be the coldest period of the sequence, marked by a distinct decrease in the reconstructed January temperatures of up to 5 degrees C lower than today, while mean annual precipitation was only slightly lower than the present-day average (similar to 450 vs. 515 mm, respectively). The wettest and warmest period of the record was identified between similar to 14.9 and 13.0 ka cal. BP, with maximum values of 545 mm mean annual precipitation reached at similar to 14.5 ka cal. BP. This time interval is synchronized with the global warm and moist Bolling-Allerod interstadial as well as with the onset of the Natufian culture and the emergence of sedentism in the Levant. The Younger Dryas began around 12.9 ka cal. BP and was identified as an exceptional period by the JRD sequence with low temperatures and minimal climatic seasonality contrast: an increase in rain contribution during spring, summer, and autumn was documented concurrently with a significant decrease in winter precipitation. The detailed vegetation and climato-logical reconstruction presented in this study serves as backdrop to seminal events in human history: the transition from small nomadic groups of hunter-gatherers to the sedentary villages of the Natufian, eventually transitioning to the agricultural, complex communities of the Neolithic. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study presents an environmental reconstruction of the Mediterranean Epipaleolithic based on a high-resolution pollen record from the site Jordan River Dureijat. The study reveals climate changes and their connection to cultural transitions during this period.