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Chapter 6 Courses Toward Complexity Florescence During the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Overview The PPNB is the most-investigated of all the Neolithic periods and represents its florescence in much of the Near East. During the PPNB, several dramatic developments occur, including the definitive domestication of plants and animals, the elaboration of ritual behavior, widespread trade, and the recently defined megasite phenomenon (chapter 7). These developments occur over some 2,000 years, and are placed within the context of four subdivisions. A huge amount of data exists for the PPNB, and thus this chapter focuses primarily on major trends and highlights. The PPNB History and Terminology As with the earlier periods, there is a considerable diversity of terminology for the PPNB. The first discoveries of Neolithic materials were made prior to World War I by colorful early archaeologists such as T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) and Sir Leonard Woolleyat Byblos and Carchmish, by Oppenheim at Tel Halaf, and Garstang at Sakçagözü, among others. While these early discoveries demonstrated that there was an intermediate stage between the Paleolithic and the great urban cultures of the Near East, little else was known (Moore 1985:3). More serious studies began in the 1920s. In the southern Levant, Buzy’s (1928) investigation of surface finds in the Wadi Tahun resulted in the term Tahunian for a collection that undoubtedly contained mixed materials but also included Amuq points, denticulated sickle blades, and other artifacts that would come to be identified as PPNB. Tahunian was a confusing term, with some researchers first suggesting that it was widely 122 Chapter 6 misused and should be abandoned, but then reintroducing it as an entity distinct from the PPNB (e.g., Prausnitz 1966, 1970). Certainly the most significant discovery was at Jericho. As noted in chapter 5, Garstang established a long, well-stratified Neolithic sequence, and the term PPNB was officially introduced into the literature by Kenyon’s expanded excavations . A consequence of the early studies at Jericho was that it came to be identified as the ‘‘type site’’ for the Neolithic, an unfortunate occurrence , since Jericho is quite distinct from other entities. To the north, Braidwood’s early investigations also were documenting Neolithic sites. In the Amuq Valley of northern Syria, surface collections and excavations at Tel Judaidah revealed substantial evidence for Neolithic occupation. Prior to World War II, similar materials were recovered at Mersin and Tarsus in the Cilician portion of Turkey by other scholars, while in Mesopotamia (primarily Iraq) limited Neolithic occupations also were documented. After the war, research accelerated, and of particular importance was Braidwood’s pioneering interdisciplinary work at Jarmo and other Iraqi sites. Also important was Mellaart’s research in western Turkey (Moore 1985:3–6). Following Braidwood’s research were several investigations in Iran and Iraq. Of particular note are studies in Khuzistan on the Deh Luran Plain of Iran (Hole et al. 1969), which focused on careful excavation at sites like Ali Kosh that allowed for the construction of new models for the origins of the Neolithic. While many of these sites are not PPNB sensu stricto, they greatly expanded our knowledge of the Neolithic (see Peasnall 2002 for a summary). Unfortunately , political considerations in Iran and Iraq since the 1970s have hampered a continuation of research into what undoubtedly was a very important core of Neolithic occupation. Likewise, it is only recently that the elaborate and expansive Neolithic of Turkey has come into clearer focus (e.g., Gérard and Thissen 2002; Özdoğan and Başgelen 1999), despite early discoveries at important sites such as Çatalhöyük, Suberde, or Çayönü. Research in the southern Levant also greatly expanded, and while Kenyon’s Jericho excavations are the most famous, other scholars documented numerous PPNB communities that were much smaller than Jericho, providing a more balanced perspective. Despite the ever-changing political climate in the Near East, research at new sites is rewriting our comprehension of the Neolithic. In particular, discoveries from Jordan,Turkey, and Cyprus have in recent years greatly Florescence During the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B 123 expanded (and complicated) this seminal period in human history. Given the intensity of research on the Neolithic, terminology has understandably become more complex. In this book, I use PPNB in its widest sense. While not all regions have universally adopted this term, it is by far the most familiar. Whatever term one chooses, there is, however, no doubt that the PPNB...

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