{"id":136788,"date":"2026-08-25T09:59:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T06:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.haifa.ac.il\/?p=136788"},"modified":"2026-08-25T10:34:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T07:34:49","slug":"new-study-the-natufians-developed-a-sophisticated-harvesting-technique-for-wild-cereals-as-early-as-15000-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.haifa.ac.il\/en\/2026\/08\/25\/new-study-the-natufians-developed-a-sophisticated-harvesting-technique-for-wild-cereals-as-early-as-15000-years-ago\/","title":{"rendered":"The Natufians Developed a Sophisticated Harvesting Technique for Wild Cereals as Early as 15,000 years ago"},"content":{"rendered":"

An analysis of 158 prehistoric sickle blades found that the Natufians harvested wild cereals over several weeks, at various stages of ripening. According to the researchers, this reflects a sophisticated form of cereal harvesting and reveals the existence of different varieties some 4,500 years before the appearance of domesticated cereals.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A new study conducted at the University of Haifa and published in the journal Scientific Reports<\/a> by Nature found that, as early as some 15,000 years ago, members of the Natufian culture harvested wild cereals in a planned and sustained manner, based on the ripening stages. Harvesting began when the cereals were half-ripe and continued for several weeks until more advanced stages of ripening. The researchers interpret the findings as evidence of an early form of cereal harvesting that existed 4,500\u20131,000 years before the appearance of domesticated cereals. \u201cThe findings not only reveal cereal harvesting, but also show that the Natufians knew how to identify and exploit non-shattering varieties, similar to the domesticated varieties that exist today, enabling them to increase yields. When wild cereals are harvested before the seeds disperse naturally, fewer seeds remain in the ground for regeneration the following year. Therefore, in order to maintain the level of yield over time, it was necessary to preserve some of the seeds and sow them in the following season, and the harvesting method developed by the Natufians made it possible to increase productivity. We therefore see this as an early form of cereal cultivation, although it was not yet the established agriculture that developed in the Neolithic period,\u201d said Dr. Iris Groman-Yaroslavski of the University of Haifa, who led the study.<\/p>\n

The Natufian culture existed in the Levant some 15,000\u201312,000 years ago, during a period when groups of hunters and gatherers began to adopt a sedentary lifestyle. This transition was reflected, for example, in the establishment of larger and more permanent settlements, the use of storage facilities, and a wide range of grinding and food-processing tools. One of the tools associated with this period is the sickle blade, which became a permanent component of the Natufian flint tool assemblage and attests to the growing importance of harvesting and plant processing. However, because relatively few cereal remains have been found at archaeological sites, it was unclear to what extent the blades were used for cereal harvesting and what they could teach us about the ways in which wild cereals were exploited in the pre-agricultural period. In the present study, the researchers sought to reconstruct how the Natufians harvested and processed wild cereals and to examine what this can teach us about the early stages in the path toward cultivation. The study was led by Dr. Groman-Yaroslavski, head of the Wear Analysis Laboratory at the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa. The research team from the University of Haifa also included Dr. Tamar Krugman of the Institute of Evolution, Prof. Reuven Yeshurun, Prof. Daniel Kaufman, Prof. Mina Weinstein-Evron, and research students Katerina Barshai and Maria Filiponsky. Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and the Israel Antiquities Authority also participated in the study.<\/p>\n

The researchers examined 158 flint sickle blades: 90 from the el-Wad Cave terrace in the Carmel region and 68 from the Natufian site of Salibiya I in the Jordan Valley. Using a microscope permitting examination of the surface of the tools at up to 200 times magnification, they analyzed the microscopic wear marks formed on the edges of the blades during their use. These marks make it possible to identify the materials with which the blades came into contact and how they were used. At the same time, the researchers conducted 17 experiments using 22 replica sickles, with which they harvested wild cereals at different stages of ripening in different regions of Israel. The comparison between the marks produced in the experiments and those found on the archaeological blades formed that basis for a distinction between the harvesting of half-ripe cereals and harvesting at a more advanced stage of ripening. The comparison also revealed the use of the sickle to remove parts of the ear from the stalk and to extract the grains.<\/p>\n

The study\u2019s findings indicate that all 158 sickle blades bore wear marks consistent with cereal harvesting. At the el-Wad Cave terrace, an almost equal division was found between blades used to harvest half-ripe cereals and those used to harvest cereals at a more advanced stage of ripening. At Salibiya I, some 65 percent of the blades bore marks consistent with harvesting at the advanced stage, while approximately 32 percent were consistent with harvesting at the half-ripe stage. About half of the blades showed marks indicating particularly prolonged use, and some of the tools also bore evidence of resharpening and maintenance during use. The combination of these findings with the field experiments led the researchers to reconstruct a harvest season that lasted several weeks, beginning with half-ripe cereals and continuing through the later stages of ripening. \u201cThe use-wear marks show that the sickle was a tool used at several stages of the work. The Natufians used it to harvest cereals, separate the parts of the ear, and extract the grains, while at the same time maintaining and sharpening it during use. This combination indicates an organized work process and well-developed practical knowledge of wild cereal processing,\u201d the researchers concluded.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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