# 154 clay figurative objects from three Natufian sites in Israel date to 15,000–11,650 years ago

- Published: 2026-11-15 13:48 UTC
- Section: Science › Research
- Tags: Natufian culture, clay figurines, earliest clay figurative tradition, Southwest Asia archaeology, Southern Levant, Natufian sites in Israel, children and adults craft, fingerprints on clay, sedentism, Neolithic transition
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-a6a0cd4421ad5db0a827a098_154_clay_figurative/

**Archaeologists describe the earliest clay figurative tradition in Southwest Asia, predating the Neolithic farming societies long associated with clay symbols.**

![154 clay figurative objects from three Natufian sites in Israel date to 15,000–11,650 years ago](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/12149a7c54084854.jpg)
*Zde, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0*

A team led by Laurent Davin of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reported 154 figurative artefacts made of clay from three Natufian sites in the Southern Levant, Israel. The objects date to 15,000–11,650 years cal. BP, according to a study published in PLoS ONE [1]. The authors describe them as the earliest clay figurative tradition in Southwest Asia [1].

## Clay figures before the Neolithic

Clay technologies and their use in symbolic practices are known from the Upper Palaeolithic of North Africa, Europe and East Asia, but only sporadically [1]. In Southwest Asia, they were commonly believed to appear much later, among the innovations of Neolithic agricultural societies [1]. The Natufians were hunter-gatherers who increasingly lived in settled villages. Natufian figures made of stone and bone were already known, while clay objects had generally been linked to the later spread of farming and pottery.

Some of the recovered pieces appear to depict humans, birds or other animals. Others preserve traces of red or orange colouring. One fragment may represent the facial markings of a mountain gazelle.

## Children and adults as makers

Using a combined multidisciplinary approach, the authors conclude that children and adults made these objects. According to them, the makers produced new symbols with new figurative techniques and practices, and clay was their primary medium of figurative expression [1].

One figure carries fingerprints left while the clay was still soft. Researchers identified an adult fingerprint overlapped by a child's, which may preserve a moment of learning between generations. The study does not establish what was being taught or why the object was made.

The authors say the work gives insight into the demographics of craft production and into the development of symbolic practices at the beginning of sedentism, which influenced the Neolithic transition in Southwest Asia [1].

The meaning of the objects remains uncertain. They might have served in storytelling, teaching, ritual or other activities that leave few traces. Only a limited number of objects survive, and the original context of ancient artefacts is hard to reconstruct. Clay is fragile, so many prehistoric objects may not have been preserved. Similar finds at other sites would show how widespread the tradition was.

## Sources

1. [PLoS ONE](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360388)
2. [knowridge.com](https://knowridge.com/2026/11/ancient-clay-figures-reveal-surprising-creativity-before-farming-began)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-a6a0cd4421ad5db0a827a098_154_clay_figurative/