Recent evidence indicates that environmental changes following the Last Glacial Maximum created a mosaic of ecological niches suitable for hunter-gatherers in the arid zone of the southern Levant. Consequently, populations in these marginal areas had potential for complex societal reorganization at the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary, which has not yet been thoroughly explored. This study focuses on Qadim Cave, located in the northeastern Negev Desert, which has experienced arid conditions (100 mm annual precipitation) since the Late Pleistocene. This location is ideal for examining the interplay between environmental conditions, settlement patterns, cultural dynamics, and subsistence strategies of Epipaleolithic and Early Neolithic societies.
Five short excavation seasons have been conducted at Qadim Cave. The stratigraphic sequence includes Late/Final Epipaleolithic and Neolithic horizons, extending to Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age ephemeral remains. The primary occupation layers at the site are Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA; Unit 4) and Late/Final Epipaleolithic levels (Units 5-6). These layers contain combustion features, burials (Unit 4), rich faunal and botanical remains, as well as diagnostic flint and ground stone assemblages (including bedrock mortars).
These initial results imply that the Qadim hunter-gatherer strategies adjusted the immediate surroundings using local raw materials (e.g., chert and limestone) alongside the diverse shrubs, low trees, and local fauna that were supported by the high runoff yield strata. It is suggested that similar niche constructions were further observed in the close vicinity (Dimona ridge and Yeroham ridge) during the Upper Paleolithic to Chalcolithic periods.
