14,500-year-old Natufian settlement Wadi Hammeh 27 identified in Jordan. Wadi Hammeh 27 is a Late Epipalaeolithic archaeological site located in Pella, Jordan The site dates to approximately 14,500 years ago, making it 2,500-3,000 years older than Karahan Tepe It is identified as an early Natufian large settlement

Wadi Hammeh 27 in Pella, Jordan is a Late Epipalaeolithic site dating to around 14,500 years ago — roughly 2,500–3,000 years older than Karahan Tepe. Identified as an early Natufian large settlement, Dr. Philip Edwards devoted a 400+ page book to it in 2013. Experts see it as a base camp and likely forerunner to later sedentary Pre-Pottery Neolithic communities, with stone features rebuilt across many occupation phases.

Key Facts

  • Wadi Hammeh 27 is a Late Epipalaeolithic archaeological site located in Pella, Jordan
  • The site dates to approximately 14,500 years ago, making it 2,500-3,000 years older than Karahan Tepe
  • It is identified as an early Natufian large settlement
  • Dr. Philip Edwards published a 400+ page book on the site in 2013
  • Experts believe it was a base camp and a forerunner to sedentary Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlements
  • The site shows many phases of occupation with stone features rebuilt in the same locations