Phillip C. Edwards (ed.). Wadi Hammeh 27: an early Natufian settlement at Pella in Jordan.
Belfer-Cohen, Anna
PHILLIP C. EDWARDS (ed.). Wadi Hammeh 27: an early Natufian
settlement at Pella in Jordan. xxvi+410 pages, 331 b&w
illustrations, 87 tables. 2013. Leiden & Boston (MA): Brill;
978-90-04-23609-7 hardback 164 [euro] & $228.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
The Natufian phenomenon is a unique occurrence in human history--a
Levantine hunter-gatherer society portraying changes in all aspects of
its existence--considered by many to be the precursor of the subsequent
'Neolithic revolution', and the shift from an extractive to a
productive mode of living. The material evidence indicates intensive
plant exploitation, sedentism, large settlements with durable
architecture, burial grounds, artistic manifestations, and a dramatic
rise in the range of raw materials used besides chipped flint (e.g.
bone, basalt and limestone) resulting in a plethora of new artefacts
such as groundstone utensils. Since the phenomenon was first recognised
in the 1930s, each Natufian base-camp investigated has yielded data
displaying both general Natufian characteristics and distinctive,
particular attributes of its own.
This said, the site of Wadi Hammeh 27 stands out among all Natufian
sites for a number of reasons: unique and impressive architectural
features, good preservation of botanical material, unparalleled
artefacts of basalt and bone, sickles comprising the hafts as well as
the sickle pieces. It is the earliest of the large open-air Natufian
sites, representing but one phase of the Natufian sequence, covering a
relatively short time span of c. 500 of the c. 4000 years allotted to
the Natufian via radiocarbon dating. Though over the years there have
been quite a number of publications stemming from the Wadi Hammeh 27
excavation project, the detailed report under review here is a most
welcome and valuable addition to our knowledge on the Natufians and
their sites.
This final and comprehensive report is edited by P.C. Edwards, the
director of the Wadi Hammeh 27 project since its beginnings in the
1980s. Of the book's 17 chapters, Edwards is the sole author of
eight chapters dealing with the region and environment, stratigraphy,
chronology and taphonomy, architecture and settlement plan, lithic industry, limestone artefacts, visual representations in stone and bone
and, of course, the final chapter entitled 'Wadi Hammeh 27:
postscript and prospects'. He is also the co-author of most of the
other chapters dealing with spatial distribution and discard patterns,
the basaltic artefacts, bone tool industry, and artefacts and manuports
of various materials. There are only four chapters that do not bear his
name: Chapter 7 on microwear analysis of retouched lithic artefacts,
Chapter 13 on faunal remains, Chapter 14 on plant remains and Chapter
16, which is a short note on artificial modification of the incisors of
one of the buried individuals.
Some of the data and analyses have been previously published,
including information pertaining to artefact discard patterns and
activity areas (Chapter 5), the basaltic artefacts (Chapter 8) and the
burials (Chapter 15), but clearly there is a plethora of long-awaited
new and valuable information regarding other aspects such as the
stratigraphy and architecture at Wadi Hammeh 27. The chapters describing
these aspects are exemplary in their clear and detailed presentation of
the data, including the methodologies employed. Indeed, no stone has
been left unturned--the interested reader will discover all the
information and interpretations available concerning the site and the
archaeological material recovered.
Though most of the information is rather technical, Edwards still
manages to express his views concerning the wider implications of the
data. Thus, for example, there is a short but illuminating discussion on
the use of the structures and the identity of their occupants-I fully
concur with his statement that "one cannot dismiss the effect of
variant cultural traditions and community standards with respect to
house type-because there is no reason to assume that Natufian period
populations belonged to a single, self-conscious identity group"
(p. 94). One can argue with Edwards about some of his interpretations,
or his selective choice of comparative studies in the chapters
presenting the lithic and non-lithic artefacts, but each and every
chapter provides concise comparison with other Natufian assemblages and
comments on more general issues regarding the Natufian phenomena, such
as understanding what was harvested with the artefacts bearing a sickle
sheen (Chapter 7) or the origins of the basaltic artefacts recovered at
many Natufian sites including Wadi Hammeh 27 (Chapter 8).
This book is a treasure-trove for researchers specialising in the
Natufian period and is a most significant addition to the data base of
the Early Natufian in particular. Moreover, the patient reader will find
in the short comments and summaries dispersed throughout the book
interesting running commentaries on various topics regarding the broader
issues currently at the forefront of Natufian research in particular,
and the evolution of human society in general. Indeed, one can
observe--behind the tables, graphs, figures and the methodical
descriptions--the original and innovative way of thinking of those who
took part in the Wadi Hammeh 27 project, not least that of P.C. Edwards.
Unquestionably he should be congratulated on producing a detailed,
down-to-earth site report infused with insights and original ideas. An
illustration of this originality and innovative thinking--and a
befitting conclusion for this review--are Edwards' comments, in the
final chapter, where he opposes the prevalent notion that the Natufians
can be seen as first and foremost the antecedents of the 'Neolithic
revolution'. Rather, he suggests their existence is
"reminiscent of the stable procurement strategies of the Jomon in
prehistoric Japan which also did not lead clearly to an agrarian
transition" (p. 390)--a most challenging and thought-provoking
statement, and more fodder for the on-going debate concerning the part
the Natufians played in the profound changes that human societies, on
the whole, went through while becoming sedentary agriculturalists, on
the path to becoming us.
ANNA BELFER-COHEN
Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
(Email: belferac@mscc.huji.ac.il)
