Stone beads, social networks and cultural change during the PPNA of the southern Levant: Insights from the settlement of WF16

Stone beads are linked to the development of early human symbolic behaviour, with the distribution and composition of bead assemblages reflecting evolving social networks and cultural practices. Greenstone beads are known to have become particularly prominent during the transitional period to agriculture from the late Epipalaeolithic to the early Neolithic. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the stone bead assemblage from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) site of Wadi Faynan-16 (WF16) in southern Jordan. A total of 471 stone beads and associated artefacts and materials, spanning over 1000 years of occupation, were analysed using typological classification, spatial distribution mapping, microscope analysis and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) elemental analysis. Results reveal evolving trends in bead typology and raw material selection during the course of the PPNA, with major change coinciding with developments in architecture, lithic technology and refuse disposal that suggest a shift towards sedentism. Comparison of the WF16 stone bead assemblage with that from the Shubayqa-6 PPNA site reveals raw material procurement from both local sources and shared distant locations, confirming that the Faynan region served as a material source for an extensive region of settlement. Our study illustrates the dynamic nature of early Neolithic social networks through which people, ideas and material culture flowed during this key period of human history.