The Age profiles of Gazelles predated by ancient man in Israel : Possible evidence for a shift from seasonality to sedentism in the Natufian

Abstract

This paper presents age profile data for gazelle teeth and bones from a sequence of prehistoric sites in Israel which date from the Mousterian (50-40,000 BP) to Natufian (12-10,000 BP) periods. Within this sequence a small increase in the proportion of juveniles is observed in the Natufian. There are several possible factors which may affect the age profile of a prey species culled by ancient man. It is argued that the increase in the Natufian was the unintended result of a change in man's lifestyle at that time: a change from seasonal nomadism to sedentism.