New research by archaeologists at the University of Haifa, published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, found that about 15,000 years ago the Carmel Caves overlooked lakes and marshes teeming with migratory birds rather than the Mediterranean Sea.
“Our findings show for the first time that members of the Natufian culture, hunters and gatherers who lived in the Carmel about 15,000 years ago, hunted systematically in the coastal lakes that existed here at the end of the Ice Age,” said Prof. Reuven Yeshurun.
The study, led by Dr. Linda Amos, Prof. Mina Weinstein-Evron and Yeshurun of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology, analyzed bird bones from the Nahal Me’arot and el-Wad caves to reconstruct Natufian hunting practices and their environment. Amos identified each fragment under a microscope, noting species, skeletal element and traces of cutting, burning or polishing. Many remains bore butcher marks, fire damage and wear from use as ornaments; some bones were carved into beads.
Researchers documented bones from 43 bird species, including ducks, geese, partridges, quails and birds of prey. Dividing the finds into four occupation phases, they tracked shifts in hunting patterns and seasons of exploitation. Waterfowl served as a major food source and as raw material for personal adornment.
“The ducks and geese that migrated in the cold season provided them with rich and diverse food, alongside materials used to create beads and jewelry,” Yeshurun added.
During the Natufian period global sea levels were lower, exposing a broad coastal plain below Mount Carmel. Seasonal wetlands formed there, drawing wintering flocks that Natufian hunters visited before returning to their cave dwellings.
“Under the microscope, we could see how the bones were processed, from hunting to cooking,” said Amos. “These details tell a complete story of how the Natufians interacted with their environment and used every available resource— not just for food, but for symbolic and social purposes as well.”
The Natufian culture, dating to roughly 15,000–11,700 years ago, marked the transition from nomadic foraging to more settled life. Both Nahal Me’arot and el-Wad yielded evidence of round stone houses, storage areas, hearths, tools and burials, illustrating a community that exploited the wetlands lying west of the caves.
Supported by the National Science Foundation and the Israel Science Foundation, the study showed that Natufian hunter-gatherers undertook systematic winter forays to the coastal plain to procure waterfowl, returning with meat and bones later fashioned into ornaments, refining the picture of late Ice Age life on Mount Carmel.
Written with the help of a news-analysis system.