Nachcharini
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| Location | 40 miles from Beirut, Lebanon |
|---|---|
| Type | Cave |
| Part of | Settlement |
| History | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Founded | c. 8200–6200 BC |
| Periods | PPNA, PPNB, Neolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1972, 1974, 2001 |
| Archaeologists | Bruce Schroeder, Alex Wasse |
| Condition | ruins |
| Public access | Yes |
Nachcharini is a medium-sized cave and Neolithic settlement located on the high (2100 metres), central plateau of the Anti-Lebanon mountains near the Syrian border. It is one of the highest Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) occupations found to date.
It is an important site for the early Neolithic in Lebanon and was excavated in 1972 and 1974 by Bruce Schroeder as part of the University of Toronto's investigation of Neolithic occupation in the Beqaa, Lebanon. Research was disrupted by the Lebanese Civil War. The one radiocarbon date for the Neolithic period from this site has a high deviation, falling between 8500 BC and 7700 BC. Further investigations into the prehistoric land use of this site were carried out in 2001, directed by Alex Wasse of CBRL. They found the site badly looted, but were able to recover numerous tools and flints for further study.
Chipped stone analysis revealed similarities to Jericho's Sultanian style, suggesting more advanced activities than carried out at other PPNA sites. Evidence from Wadi Faynan suggests a variety of non-hunting purposes for these types of tools.[1][2][3]
Snows last into the spring, which irrigates the area into June, watering what were historically some of the richest Levantine pastures.
Literature
- Ofer Bar-Yosef, François Raymond Valla: The Natufian culture in the Levant, International Monographs in Prehistory, 1991.
Footnotes
- ↑ Neolithics 2/01 A Newsletter of South West Lithics Research - A Brief Note on the Chipped Stone Assemblage from PPNA Nachcharini Cave, Lebanon, Anne Pirie, University of Reading, 2001.
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