10/2025 Presentations by Dr. Linda Amos and Dr. Ma’ayan Lev at the “Small Prey, Big Insights” congress in Valencia

At this inaugural international conference on small prey, Dr. Linda Amos and Dr. Ma'ayan Lev presented new analyses of avifaunal and squamate assemblages from the southern Levant. Their contributions offered complementary perspectives on small-prey use during the Late Pleistocene–Holocene transition, reflecting the distinct datasets and interpretive approaches each researcher brings to this period.

Dr. Linda Amos — What is a Bird? Reading Prehistoric Birdscapes in the Southern Levant
This presentation used avifaunal assemblages from el-Wad Terrace and el-Hemmeh to investigate how birds featured within human lifeways across the Epipalaeolithic–PPNA transition. Habitat, migration patterns, and taphonomic signatures together show when and how birds appeared in the landscape and were engaged with—ranging from subsistence and ornament production to their roles as temporal markers and socially meaningful presences.

Dr. Ma'ayan Lev — Squamate reptiles as a dietary resource in the Terminal Pleistocene–Early Holocene southern Levant
This presentation examines how snakes and lizards contributed to human diets during the Terminal Pleistocene–Early Holocene Levant. Through experimental taphonomy and case studies from el-Wad and el-Hemmeh, it reveals clear evidence of deliberate butchery and selective exploitation, expanding prey-rank models and shedding new light on resource intensification and early sedentism.