Composite flint sickle
Hoz compuesta de hojas de sílex
- Date
- c. 9500 BCE · confidence medium
- Place
- Ain Mallaha (Eynan) and Jericho, Jordan Valley, Israel / West Bank
- Credited to
- Late Natufian culture and PPNA
- Field
- Life & health
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A bone or wood handle set with flint blades fixed with bitumen, allowing wild and later cultivated cereals to be reaped quickly. It is the first tool made specifically for harvesting, and its use-sheen is the archaeological marker of intensive reaping.
The oldest Natufian sickles date back to c. 12,500 BCE, before the start of this catalogue; recorded here is their consolidation as an agricultural tool in the PPNA.
What it led to
- Mass cereal harvesting that made storage and permanent settlement profitable
- Unconscious selection of tough-rachis ears that led to the domestication of wheat and barley
- A concentrated seasonal work rhythm that demanded cooperation and communal planning
Built on
- Laminar flint blades
- Bitumen as adhesive
- Wild cereal gathering