From Stone to Food: Foodways and Ground Stone Tools During the Natufian and Early Neolithic of Eastern Jordan

This study examines the use of ground stone tools in food processing in the Southern Levant during the Late Epipalaeolithic (Natufian) and the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA), analysing tools from the sites Shubayqa 1 and 6, in Northeast Jordan. Employing a techno-morphological analysis focused on gestures together with low-power microscopic use-wear analysis it explores foodways in a local context, tracking changes over time to what people processed and the tools they used. Though plant processing is the most common activity in all periods, the tools feature wear from a diverse range of materials including animal matter and minerals. During the Natufian, tubers appear to be an important resource. Over time and into the Neolithic phases, microwear from cereals becomes increasingly common, dominating by the PPNA. This coincides with a general shift towards processing through linear reciprocal grinding. While gestures and tools change between the Late Natufian and Early PPNA, there is considerable continuity between these two periods: in a general diversity of contact materials and the use of floor installations. While results need further analyses, they provide one perspective of the changing foodways of people living in the Southern Levant during a pivotal period of human history.