Nahal Oren, archeological site

Nahal Oren is an archeological site in a cave in Nahal Oren on Mount Carmel 10 kilometers south of Haifa, Israel, which was first excavated in 1941. Kebaran, Natufian and Pre-Pottery Neolithic A and B industries were found.

Domestication of Gazelles and Goats

The main source of food at the site appears to have been gazelles, and judging from the high incidence of immature gazelles' bones, these animals were domesticated. The later shift to goat husbandry may have occurred because goats are less selective in their diets than are gazelles, and can graze regions where the gazelle would not fare well.

Wheat was also recovered from Nahal Oren, but it was not certain whether it was cultivated or wild. Grain was relatively rare at the site, in comparison with other food resources.

Nahal Oren was occupied repeatedly over thousands of years by culture after culture, which means that it was a preferred site for occupation, rather than an occasional one.