HISTORY LESSON

The Levant is a Telephone Box—Africans Went In as Hunter-Gatherers and Came Out as “Levantine Farmers”

Picture this: a tiny telephone box in the heart of the Levant. A group of hunter-gatherers, fresh from the Nile Valley and East Africa, steps in. The door closes, the lights flicker, and voilà! They step out as “Levantine farmers,” transformed into paragons of early agriculture, according to some experts. Forget their African roots. Forget their Paleolithic mastery of tools, their tracking of celestial bodies, and their foundational innovations. No, no—now they’re just “Levantine farmers,” because that’s the narrative that suits certain scholars best.

Welcome to the most magical place in the prehistoric world: the Levant, where Africans go in and come out wearing shiny new identities, stripped of their cultural and technological heritage, repackaged for history books as if the Mediterranean sun had somehow bleached their accomplishments away. It’s a convenient transformation, really—especially for those who prefer their history with fewer African contributions.

Step 1: Forget Everything You Know About Hunter-Gatherers

When early Africans made their way into the Levant, they weren’t aimless wanderers. These populations hailed from regions like Northeast Africa, where they had already mastered the Paleolithic toolkit. Stone tools, microliths, early forms of housing, and the beginnings of fishing and plant cultivation were hardly new to them. They had been tracking seasonal changes, developing early calendars, and creating technological innovations that would later fuel the Neolithic revolution.

But as soon as they crossed into the Levant, we’re told to forget all of that. Suddenly, they are no longer seen as skilled African innovators but as “Levantine farmers,” as if all their previous accomplishments were left behind in that telephone box.

Step 2: Add Wheat, Barley, Sheep, and Goats—and Call It a Day

Now, let’s give credit where it’s due. The Natufians, a L