Investigating pre-agricultural dynamics in the Levant: a new, stratified epipaleolithic site at ‘En Qashish South, Jezreel Valley, Israel Alla Yaroshevich, Nuha Agha, Elisabetta Boaretto, Lena Brailovsky, Valentina Caracuta, Noam Greenbaum, Dan Kirzner, Aviram Oshri, Naomi Porat, Yoel Roskin, Ariadna Shukrun, Polina Spivak, Katia Zutovsky & Omry Barzilai Introduction The transformation of society from mobile hunter-gatherers to settled farmers was completed in Neolithic times and became a point of ‘no return’ in human history. The nature and the origin of that transformation have always been of special interest in terms of guiding research on the Levantine Epipalaeolithic (c. 23–11.5 ka cal BP). The Late Epipalaeolithic Natufian culture (14.5–11.5 ka BP), characterised by stone-built dwellings, elaborate burial practices, objects d’art and personal decoration, is considered a threshold to Neolithic farming communities (Bar-Yosef 1998). While agriculture practised by Natufian hunters was noted in Garrod’s (1932) very first publication of Natufian culture more than 80 years ago, the origin of that culture remains enigmatic. At the same time, large, open-air Early Epipalaeolithic sites discovered during the last decades provide some evidence of social complexity, arguably suggesting cultural continuity and the perception of the transition to agriculture in the Levant as a long, gradual and protracted process (summarised in Maher et al. 2012). This paper introduces ‘En Qashish South (EQS), a large, open-air site incorporating superimposed Early Epipalaeolithic (Kebaran) and Natufian occupations. Exposed areas of knapping and butchering, remains of floors, structures, installations, abundant assemblages of flint, faunal remains, grinding and pounding tools as well as a number of objects d’art provide new data relevant for our understanding of that process. ‘En Qashish South: main characteristics EQS is located in the north-west corner of the Jezreel Valley, between the eastern slopes of Mount Carmel and the Shefaram-Tiv’on Hills. The site is situated some 200m from the spring of ‘En Qashish and the perennial Qishon stream, which evidently played a major role in the formation of the site as well as in the preservation of its remains (Figure 1). Rescue excavations, directed by Yaroshevich on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, took place from November 2012 through to February 2013, prior to construction of a segment of Highway 6. The estimated size of the site is over 1000m 2 , of which 300m 2 have been exposed.