The Levallois Flaking System in Nesher Ramla Upper Sequence

Centi, Laura; Zaidner, Yossi

doi:10.1007/s41982-021-00088-3

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Careful preparation of the core in a series of removals creates the necessary core convexities and dictates the size and shape of the desired end products (Boëda et al, 1995;Schlanger, 1996;Chazan, 1997;Eren and Lycett, 2012). Examples of this widely distributed method, typically associated with Homo heidelbergensis, Homo neanderthalensis, Homo sapiens, Denisovans and other MP human groups, can be found in sites in Africa, Europe and Asia (e.g., Eren and Lycett, 2012;Adler et al, 2014;Akhilesh et al, 2018;Jacobs et al, 2019;Hu et al, 2019;Centi and Zaidner, 2021;Hershkovitz et al, 2021). As we will later show, the appearance of the Levallois method at pre-Middle Paleolithic sites indicates that it was most probably invented and assimilated by the ancestors of Middle Paleolithic hominins in the Levant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Levallois method also varies widely from region to region, as reflected, for example, in Levallois variants such as the Nubian and the Aduma of the Khormusan in Africa (Goder-Goldberger, 2013; Usik et al, 2013). In addition to the well-defined variants themselves, inter-and intra-site variability is common (e.g., Meignen, 1995;Tuffreau, 1995;Hovers and Belfer-Cohen, 2013;Hérisson et al, 2016;Carmignani et al, 2017;Prévost and Zaidner, 2020;Centi and Zaidner, 2021). Variability (regional or not) raises an important question regarding the ability to identify technologies at different stages of adoption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lower Paleolithic Winds of Change: Prepared Core Technologies and the Onset of the Levallois Method in the Levantine Late Acheulian

2022

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The life cycle of a successful technological innovation usually follows a well-known path: a slow inception, gradual assimilation of the technology, an increase in its frequency up to a certain peak, and then a decline. These different phases are characterized not only by varying frequency of use but also by degree of standardization and distinguishability. The Levallois method, a sophisticated Middle Paleolithic technology aimed at producing desired stone items of predetermined morphology, is one such innovation. It has been repeatedly suggested that the Levallois method originated within earlier Lower Paleolithic Acheulian industries, and this work contributes to this discussion. We analyze the reduction trajectory of prepared cores and predetermined blanks from the late Acheulian sites of Jaljulia and Revadim, adding important new evidence for the Lower Paleolithic origins of the Levallois method and its adoption and assimilation in the human stone-tool repertoire of this period in the Levant. Revadim and Jaljulia also provide a rare opportunity to study patterns in the early assimilation of technological innovations. These sites yielded rich lithic assemblages typical of the late Acheulian in the Levant. The assemblages include handaxes but are mostly dominated by flake production technologies and flake-tools. The early appearance of prepared cores at both sites signals, in our view, the inception of concepts related to the Levallois method, termed here proto-Levallois, in the late Acheulian Levant. Through a detailed analysis of prepared cores and their products, we are able to characterize the early stages of assimilation of this method, using it as a case study in a broader discussion of the adoption and assimilation of technological innovations during Lower Paleolithic times.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lower Paleolithic Winds of Change: Prepared Core Technologies and the Onset of the Levallois Method in the Levantine Late Acheulian

2022

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To Err Is Human: Knapping Expertise and Technological Variability at the Middle Palaeolithic Site of Nesher Ramla, Israel

Centi

Valletta

Zaidner

2022

J Archaeol Method Theory

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Nubian Levallois Technology During MIS 5: Refitted Lithic Sequences and OSL Ages of Dimona South, Israel, and Their Broader Implications

Oron,

Hovers,

Porat

et al. 2024

J Paleo Arch

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The site of Dimona South is a knapping locality in the Negev desert of Israel, situated at the raw material source. A test excavation followed by a salvage excavation conducted during 2020 revealed a partly buried archaeological layer that was exposed over an area of ~ 40 m2 and yielded a well-preserved lithic assemblage. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of sediments within and above the archaeological layer fall within MIS 5. With a lithic assemblage dominated by Nubian Levallois technology, this site provides a rare opportunity for analysis of a well-dated, in situ Nubian assemblage. A refitting study in combination with an attribute analysis of the whole assemblage allowed the reconstruction of the Nubian reduction sequence. Our analyses indicate that a specifically pre-planned Nubian point production system existed at the site. It is characterized by the early preparation of an acute distal ridge and its careful maintenance throughout the reduction process until the cores were exhausted. These characteristics stand out from most Levantine Middle Paleolithic assemblages.The discovery of Dimona South allows us to revisit some of the technological issues at the heart of debates about Levallois Nubian technology that could not be addressed from analyses of partial surface assemblages. These new data from a secure and dated context are crucial to the inter-site and regional technological comparisons, informing our views of the Nubian technology and its role in the Middle Paleolithic world of eastern Africa, Arabia and the Levant.

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The Levallois Flaking System in Nesher Ramla Upper Sequence

Cited by 5 publications

References 56 publications

Lower Paleolithic Winds of Change: Prepared Core Technologies and the Onset of the Levallois Method in the Levantine Late Acheulian

Lower Paleolithic Winds of Change: Prepared Core Technologies and the Onset of the Levallois Method in the Levantine Late Acheulian

To Err Is Human: Knapping Expertise and Technological Variability at the Middle Palaeolithic Site of Nesher Ramla, Israel

Nubian Levallois Technology During MIS 5: Refitted Lithic Sequences and OSL Ages of Dimona South, Israel, and Their Broader Implications

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