Natuflan trade/exchange in basalt implements: Evidence from northern Israel

Three Natufian base camps in Israel - el-Wad, Hayonim and Eynan - have nearby basalt sources, but K/Ar ages indicate that their inhabitants obtained implements, made of MiocenePliocene and Quaternary basalts, further afield. The nearest locations, in which raw material sources representing the whole range of dated basalts occur within a relatively restricted area, are to be found east of the Jordan Valley, suggesting movement of the material some 100km to el-Wad, 60 km to Hayonim and 20 km to Eynan. The exact nature of these long-distance contacts and the underlying social and economic systems and mechanisms are yet to be determined.