The Levant

"Levant" or "The Levant" (as a region)

Map of Natufian regions in prehistoric Levant, which today includes Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Palestinian territories, and Syria, c. 13,000-9,500 BC

• levant = "rising"
  • named for the rising of the sun from the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea
• "The Levant" = lands along the eastern coast (Asia) of the Mediterranean Sea
• prehistoric Levant:
  • Natufian culture
    • semi- and sedentary people who occupied the Levant c. 13,000-9,500 BC
    • were or are among the earliest people to engage in farming (Neolithic)
    • oldest evidence of bread-making is in Shubayqa from 12,500 BC
    • followed by the the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) A & B periods, 10,000-8,800 BC
      • Jericho was built during PPNA - see Tower of Jericho (wikipedia)
• historic Levant:
  • Northeast Africa (Libya and Egypt)
  • Mesopotamia (Middle East)
  • Asia Minor (modern Turkey)
• modern countries in The Levant include:
  • Jordan
  • Israel
  • Lebanon
  • Syria
  • also includes
    • Palestine
    • lower southeastern coastal Turkey