Studies of the transition from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies indicate an initial period of intensification and increasing sedentism; examples are the Natufian culture in the Levant, and the Early Chinese Neolithic in China.
stˈʌdiz ʌvðə tɹænsˈɪʃən fɹʌm hˈʌntɚɡˈæðɚɹɚ tʊ ˌæɡɹɪkˈʌltʃɚɹəl səsˈaɪəɾiz ˈɪndᵻkˌeɪt ɐn ɪnˈɪʃəl pˈiəɹɪəd ʌv ɪntˌɛnsɪfɪkˈeɪʃən ænd ɪŋkɹˈiːsɪŋ sˈɛdəntˌɪzəm; ɛɡzˈæmpəlz ɑːɹ ðə nætˈuːfiən kˈʌltʃɚɹ ɪnðə ləvˈænt, ænd ðɪ ˈɜːli tʃaɪnˈiːz nˌiːoʊlˈɪθɪk ɪn tʃˈaɪnə.