Near Eastern wild boars possess a characteristic DNA signature. Unexpectedly, wild boars from Israel have the DNA sequences of European wild boars and domestic pigs. To understand how this anomaly evolved, we sequenced DNA from ancient and modern pigs from Israel. Pigs from Late Bronze Age (until ca. 1150 BCE) in Israel shared haplotypes of modern and ancient Near Eastern pigs. European haplotypes became dominant only during the Iron Age (ca. 900 BCE). This raises the possibility that European pigs were brought to the region by the Sea Peoples who migrated to the Levant at that time. Then, a complete genetic turnover took place, most likely because of repeated admixture between local and introduced European domestic pigs that went feral. Severe population bottlenecks likely accelerated this process. Introductions by humans have strongly affected the phylogeography of wild animals, and interpretations of phylogeography based on modern DNA alone should be taken with caution.

Our compilation of zooarchaeological data from a series of important archaeological sites spanning the Epipaleolithic through Pre-Pottery Neolithic B periods in the Mediterranean Hills of the southern Levant contributes to major debates about the beginnings of ungulate management in Southwest Asia. The data support an onset of ungulate management practices by the Early PPNB (10,500–10,000 cal. BP), more than 500 years earlier than previously thought for this region. There is a clear developmental connection between reduced hunting intensity and the uptake of ungulate management, confirming that this process began in response to local, density-dependent demographic factors. The early process of goat domestication in the southern Levant appears to have been overwhelmingly local. This may have been true for cattle and pigs as well. Nevertheless, the loose synchrony of animal management trends across Southwest Asia was undoubtedly enabled by large-scale social networks that transmitted knowledge. The results add to growing evidence that animal management processes followed multiple regional evolutionary pathways within the Fertile Crescent.

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Recent excavations at Motza near Jerusalem revealed a large Neolithic site that was continuously inhabited from the Early PPNB until the Pottery Neolithic period. The well-dated Early PPNB occupation comprises various architectural remains, human burials, clay and stone fi gurines, and rich fl int and obsidian assemblages. Layer VI is approximately 2 m thick and consists of three discrete occupational levels with distinct architectural remains. These include curvilinear and rectangular structures with lime plastered fl oors, courtyards, hearths, and long massive walls of up to 1 m width. This layer is dated by sixteen radiocarbon dates, all falling within the range of 8600-8200 cal. BC. The EPPNB fl int assemblage at Motza demonstrates a combination of the continuation of the earlier PPNA traditions together with the introduction of new technological innovations. The formal tools are dominated by Helwan and Jericho points, with many of the former being made on bidirectional blades in the north Levantine mode. Sickle blades are also mainly fashioned on bidirectional blanks. Mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella), the dominant species of the EPPNB faunal remains, indicates that hunting was still important. Gazelle bones were preferred for manufacturing bone tools, continuing PPNA Sultanian practices. Most of the human remains were primary burials, with no preference in the orientation of the bodies, although they were tightly fl exed. Graves illustrate various funerary practices although primary inhumations on tightly fl exed position are more common. All three primary graves of adults show evidence of later skull removal. Corpse treatment seems nonetheless quite particular at Motza as most of the graves were associated in different ways with remains of plaster, more frequently, as patches mixed in the fi lling of the grave. The archaeological evidence from Motza revises the hypothesis held by some that the PPNB in this region only started in the MPPNB. In addition, the advanced naviform technology and Helwan points present at Motza appear to be chronological markers of this period and together with radiocarbon dates confi rm the existence of this stage of the PPNB in the southern Levant. Résumé : Les fouilles effectuées récemment à Motza, près de Jérusalem, ont révélé la présence d'un important site néolithique occupé de manière continue du PPNB ancien au Néolithique céramique. Bien datée, l'occupation du PPNB ancien a livré de nombreux vestiges architecturaux, des sépultures, des fi gurines d'argile et de pierre, ainsi qu'une abondante industrie sur silex et obsidienne. Le niveau 6, épais de près de deux mètres, comporte trois couches d'occupation successives, présentant des restes architecturaux distincts. Ceux-ci incluent des structures curvilinéaires et rectangulaires avec des sols de chaux, des cours, des foyers et des murs massifs de plus d'un mètre d'épaisseur. Cette couche est datée par seize datations radiocarbone toutes comprises entre 8600 et 8200 av. J.-C. (cal.). L'industrie lithique de Motza présente une...

The current view for the southern Levant is that wild game hunting was replaced by herd management over the course of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period, but there is significant debate over the timing, scale and origin of this transition. To date, most relevant studies focus either on wild game exploitation in the periods prior to domestication or on classic markers of domestication of domestic progenitor species over the course of the PPNB. We studied the faunal remains from the 2007–2008 excavations of the Middle PPNB (MPPNB) site of Yiftah’el, Northern Israel. Our analysis included a close examination of the timing and impact of the trade-off between wild game and domestic progenitor taxa that reflects the very beginning of this critical transition in the Mediterranean zone of the southern Levant. Our results reveal a direct trade-off between the intensive hunting of wild ungulates that had been staples for millennia, and domestic progenitor taxa. We suggest that the changes in wild animal use are linked to a region-wide shift in the relationship between humans and domestic progenitor species including goat, pig and cattle.