Shamanism at the transition from foraging to farming in Southwest Asia: sacra, ritual, and performance at Neolithic WF16 (southern Jordan)

Shamanism is a pervasive form of ritual practice documented within hunter-gathering and farming societies throughout the world, continuing some present-day urban communities. Despite exhibiting considerable variation, shamanism has several recurrent features, notably role shaman as mediator between spirit human worlds. been cited to explain aspects Epipalaeolithic Neolithic archaeological records in Southwest Asia Anatolia. Building on that work, this contribution explores whether might account for intriguing finds from early settlement WF16 southern Jordan, large quantity bird bones, zoomorphic artefacts architectural features. A range interpretations evidence are considered with emerging most compelling, suggesting shamanic thought pervaded daily life at WF16. The paper concludes by proposing played key Early Holocene transition hunting gathering Asia, it provided means coping uncertainty arising climate economic change.