Marginal Landscapes? : the Azraq Oasis and the cultural landscapes of the final Pleistocene southern Levant
This thesis examines the final Pleistocene cultural landscape of the Azraq Oasis in eastern Jordan on the basis of archaeological fieldwork conducted at Ayn Qasiyya and AWS 48, two Epipalaeolithic sites in the southern Azraq wetlands. It challenges traditional understandings of landscape and socio-cultural changes during the Epipalaeolithic period, and this periodâs role in shaping the subsequent emergence of agriculture and sedentism. The current model of socio-cultural change, which considers the Epipalaeolithic-Neolithic transition as a development from simple foragers, to complex collectors, to farmers, is critically reviewed. Evidence from the Epipalaeolithic of the Le-vant is highlighted that strongly suggests that this unilineal sequence must be re-evaluated. Furthermore, the social evolutionary underpinnings of this model are critiqued and rejected. This social evolutionary model is based on a conceptualization of the southern Levantine landscape as sub-divided into distinct phyto-geographical zones, which suggest a dichotomy between a lush âcoreâ and a impoverished âperipheryâ. Palaeoenvironmental data, however, is argued to be poorly correlated with major instances of socio-cultural change.
Richter, T.
Marginal Landscapes? : the Azraq Oasis and the cultural landscapes of the final Pleistocene southern Levant. This thesis examines the final Pleistocene cultural landscape of the Azraq Oasis in eastern Jordan on the basis of archaeological fieldwork conducted at Ayn Qasiyya and AWS 48, two Epipalaeolithic sites in the southern Azraq wetlands. It challenges traditional understandings of landscape and socio-cultural changes during the Epipalaeolithic period, and this periodâs role in shaping the subsequent emergence of agriculture and sedentism. The current model of socio-cultural change, which considers the Epipalaeolithic-Neolithic transition as a development from simple foragers, to complex collectors, to farmers, is critically reviewed. Evidence from the Epipalaeolithic of the Le-vant is highlighted that strongly suggests that this unilineal sequence must be re-evaluated. Furthermore, the social evolutionary underpinnings of this model are critiqued and rejected. This social evolutionary model is based on a conceptualization of the southern Levantine landscape as sub-divided into distinct phyto-geographical zones, which suggest a dichotomy between a lush âcoreâ and a impoverished âperipheryâ. Palaeoenvironmental data, however, is argued to be poorly correlated with major instances of socio-cultural change.
marginal landscapes cultural_landscape final pleistocene southern_levant examines final pleistocene cultural_landscape eastern jordan basis archaeological_fieldwork conduct epipalaeolithic site_southern wetland challenge_traditional understandings landscape socio_cultural change epipalaeolithic period period role_shape subsequent emergence agriculture sedentism current_model socio_cultural change considers epipalaeolithic neolithic_transition development simple complex collector farmer critically_review evidence epipalaeolithic highlight strongly suggest sequence must re_evaluated furthermore social evolutionary underpinnings model critique reject social evolutionary_model base conceptualization southern_levantine landscape sub_divided distinct geographical zone suggest dichotomy core impoverish periphery palaeoenvironmental data however_argue poorly correlate major instance socio_cultural change