Middle Palaeolithic Lithic Technology from the Western High Desert of Egypt

Abstract

Recent work in the high desert west of Abydos in Egypt has focused on the Middle Palaeolithic technologies known as Nubian 1 and 2 types and classicLevallois) which are abundant and are found in virtually all stages of production. Although these were originally defined and treated as three discrete technologies) refitting and quantitative analyses show that they are variants of one technology. While this has direct implications for interpreting lithic technological variability in this region) the demonstration that a single technology can result in seemingly discrete end products also has implications for all lithic technological studies.

A Nubian Complex Site from Central Arabia: Implications for Levallois Taxonomy and Human Dispersals during the Upper Pleistocene

“…Chiotti et al [67] offer an alternative perspective to Nubian core typology (Type 1 and Type 2). Using refittings and quantitative analysis, the authors show how the Nubian Type 1, Type 2 and ‘classical centripetal’ Levallois cores may represent separate stages within a continuous centripetal Levallois reduction.…”

“…Using refittings and quantitative analysis, the authors show how the Nubian Type 1, Type 2 and ‘classical centripetal’ Levallois cores may represent separate stages within a continuous centripetal Levallois reduction. Indeed, Chiotti et al [67] propose that by removing the distal portion of a Nubian core, such differences are muted. At this point the authors refer to van Peer [70] who coined the term ‘Safaha Method’, which describes an additional step in the Nubian preparation schema identified at Nazlet Safaha 1 and 2.…”

“…These are, to a greater extent, elongated blanks presenting expanding lateral edges (fan shaped); Safaha blanks were not further modified into tools and served the re-preparation of Levallois surface with the preferential end-product being a “double-pointed flake” ([54]: 50). Chiotti et al interpret the “Safaha flake” [67] as a transformation element that modifies a triangular Nubian core into an oval Levallois core, further obscuring the identification of core types.…”

“…Concerning the plasticity within the Nubian technology and the interchangeability between the Nubian Type 1 and Type 2 cores, Chiotti et al ([67]: 316) argue in favor of condensing these preparation methods into a general Nubian technology. This aspect of Nubian blank production was further articulated by Usik et al [20].…”

Middle Palaeolithic find spots with Nubian cores from the Southern Negev and the Arava, Israel

“…The Nubian technology is a specific variant of the Levallois technology (GoderGoldberger et al 2016, Guichard & Guichard 19651968;Usik et al 2013;Van Peer 1992) found within Middle Paleolithic techno-complexes at surface sites across the western High Desert in Egypt (Chiotti et al 2009;Olszewski et al 2005), the central Negev highlands (Goder-Goldberger et al 2016) and Arabia (Crassard & Hilbert 2013;Hilbert et al 2016;Rose et al 2011;Usik et al 2013). Common to these finds is a technological package composed of the Levallois Nubian technology alongside both Levallois centripetal and bidirectional modes of production.…”