The First Human Settlements on the Left Bank of the Jordan Valley –Report of the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

This article reports the outcomes of the 2015 and 2016 surveys carried out in the Jordan Valley by a joint team from the University of Basel, Jordan University, and Yarmouk University, focussing on the earliest settlement of the Levant. The fieldwork was funded by a grant from the Swiss-Liechtenstein Foundation for Archaeological Research Abroad and was supported by the above-mentioned universities. As early humans were completely dependent on their natural environment, to which they perfectly adapted, a sound knowledge of past environments and climate history is crucial. As the Palaeolithic peoples left only faint traces in nature, it is imperative to understand the local geology to under - stand where and how the traces of Palaeolithic hunters and gatherers are preserved and where later processes interfered, blurring the picture of the past.