This study presents, for the first time, an environmental reconstruction of a sequence spanning nearly the entire Mediterranean Epipaleolithic (∼22.0–11.9 ka cal. BP). The study is based on a well-dated, high-resolution pollen record recovered from the waterlogged archaeological site Jordan River Dureijat (JRD), located on the banks of Paleolake Hula. JRD's continuous sequence enabled us to build a pollen-based paleoclimate model providing a solid background for the dramatic cultural changes that occurred in the region during this period. Taxonomic identification of the waterlogged wood assemblage collected from JRD was used to fine-tune the paleoenvironmental reconstruction. The chronological framework is based on radiocarbon dating and the typology of archaeological findings. The LGM (∼22–19 ka cal. BP) was found to be the coldest period of the sequence, marked by a distinct decrease in the reconstructed January temperatures of up to 5°C lower than today, while mean annual precipitation was only slightly lower than the present-day average (∼450 vs. 515 mm, respectively). The wettest and warmest period of the record was identified between ∼14.9 and 13.0 ka cal. BP, with maximum values of 545 mm mean annual precipitation reached at ∼14.5 ka cal. BP. This time interval is synchronized with the global warm and moist Bølling-Allerød interstadial as well as with the onset of the Natufian culture and the emergence of sedentism in the Levant. The Younger Dryas began around 12.9 ka cal. BP and was identified as an exceptional period by the JRD sequence with low temperatures and minimal climatic seasonality contrast: an increase in rain contribution during spring, summer, and autumn was documented concurrently with a significant decrease in winter precipitation. The detailed vegetation and climatological reconstruction presented in this study serves as backdrop to seminal events in human history: the transition from small nomadic groups of hunter-gatherers to the sedentary villages of the Natufian, eventually transitioning to the agricultural, complex communities of the Neolithic.

这项研究首次展示了跨越几乎整个地中海旧石器时代（~22.0–11.9 ka cal. BP）的序列的环境重建。该研究基于从位于 Paleolake Hula 岸边的约旦河 Dureijat (JRD) 被淹的考古遗址中发现的一份年代久远的高分辨率花粉记录。JRD 的连续序列使我们能够建立一个基于花粉的古气候模型，为这一时期该地区发生的戏剧性文化变化提供了坚实的背景。从 JRD 收集的浸水木材组合的分类学鉴定用于微调古环境重建。年代框架基于放射性碳测年和考古发现的类型。LGM（~22-19 ka cal。BP）被发现是该序列中最冷的时期，其特点是重建的 1 月温度明显下降，比今天低 5°C，而年平均降水量仅略低于当今平均值（~450分别为 515 毫米）。记录中最潮湿和最温暖的时期被确定在~14.9 和 13.0 ka cal 之间。BP，最大值为 545 毫米，平均年降水量达到 14.5 卡卡。BP。这个时间间隔与全球温暖潮湿的 Bølling-Allerød interstadial 以及 Natufian 文化的开始和黎凡特定居主义的出现同步。Younger Dryas 开始大约 12.9 ka cal。BP 并被 JRD 序列确定为具有低温和最小气候季节性对比的特殊时期：春季、夏季和秋季的降雨贡献增加，同时冬季降水显着减少。本研究中呈现的详细植被和气候重建是人类历史上开创性事件的背景：从狩猎采集者的小游牧群体过渡到纳图夫定居的村庄，最终过渡到新石器时代的农业复杂社区。