The beginning of the Neolithic culture is considered to be in the Levant<span> (</span>Jericho<span>, modern-day </span>West Bank<span>) about 15,200–8800 BC. It developed directly from the </span>Epipaleolithic Natufian<span> culture in the region, whose people pioneered the use of wild </span>cereals<span>, which then evolved into true </span>farming. The Natufian period was between 12,000 and 15,200 BC, and the so-called "proto-Neolithic" is now included in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPNA<span>) between 15,200 and 8800 BC. As the Natufians had become dependent on wild cereals in their diet, and a sedentary way of life had begun among them, the climatic changes associated with the </span>Younger Dryas<span> are thought to have forced people to develop farming.</span>
