Lithic Analysis and Cultural Change in the Late Pre-Pottery Neolithic of North Syria

The late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) represents an important period of transition in North Syria, with the evolution from primitive to more advanced farming communities. The transition took place rather rapidly, involving a range of profound changes in human life-style. This paper examines the changing nature of the stone tool manufacturing behavior in this period. The analysis shows that the change is characterized by the increasing use of locally available raw material and a shift from well-organized blade to more expedient flake technologies. It is argued here that the change in lithic manufacturing was closely related to changing patterns in raw material economy, settlement pattern, and subsistence during the late PPNB. An ethnoarchaeological model suggests that, among those, the shift in subsistence or the decreasing importance of hunting appears to have been a more influential factor for the change in lithic manufacturing behavior.