Lower and Middle Paleolithic by Ariel Malinsky-Buller
The role of demography is often suggested to be a key factor in both biological and cultural evol... more The role of demography is often suggested to be a key factor in both biological and cultural evolution. Recent research has shown that the linkage between population size and cultural evolution is not
straightforward and emerges from the interplay of many demographic, economic, social and ecological variables. Formal modelling has yielded interesting insights into the complex relationship between population structure, intergroup connectedness, and magnitude and extent of population extinctions. Such studies have highlighted the importance of effective (as opposed to census) population size in transmission processes. At the same time, it remained unclear how such insights can be applied to material culture phenomena in the prehistoric record, especially for deeper prehistory. In this paper we approach the issue of population sizes during the time of the Lower to Middle Paleolithic transition through the proxy of regional trajectories of lithic technological change, identified in the archaeological records from Africa, the Levant, Southwestern and Northwestern Europe. Our discussion of the results
takes into consideration the constraints inherent to the archaeological record of deep time e e.g., preservation bias, time-averaging and the incomplete nature of the archaeological record and of extrapolation from discrete archaeological case studies to an evolutionary time scale. We suggest that technological trajectories of change over this transitional period reflect the robustness of transmission networks. Our results show differences in the pattern and rate of cultural transmission in these regions, from which we infer that information networks, and their underlying effective population sizes, also differed.
The recognition of the dynamic role of site formation processes led archaeologists to recognize a... more The recognition of the dynamic role of site formation processes led archaeologists to recognize a behavioral dichotomy between [`]living floors' and palimpsests', Yet the archaeological proxies of [`]living floor' and [`]palimpsest' were never defined formally, and therefore have been used variably. We use archaeological criteria mentioned in the archaeological literature to model types of formation processes. The case study of the Lower Paleolithic open-air site of Revadim Quarry, Israel is used to test the model. Two types of palimpsests, differing in the rate of accumulation and thus in their effects on the anthropogenic remains, were discerned. Based on these results we review some other Lower Paleolithic instances. A sliding scale of formation processes provides a much needed middle ground between the scales of coarse, time-averaged formation processes and short, "near real-life" behavioral episodes and is an appropriate archaeological frame of reference.
The age of the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menachem West, Israel—Another facet of Acheulian variability
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2016
A salvage excavation at the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menahem West in the interior of the I... more A salvage excavation at the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menahem West in the interior of the Israeli coastal plain yielded a flake industry devoid of handaxes and their byproducts. The archeological finds covering an area exceeding 2000 m 2 , are found at the contact of two distinct sedimentological units: Quartzic Brown and hamra (red clay loam paleosols). The absence of handaxes hamper placing the site within the relative chronology of the Lower Paleolithic record of the Levant. New paleomagnetic analysis coupled with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermally transferred optically (TT-OSL) dating yielded a chronological range between 780 and 460 ka for the archeological occupation. The techno-typological similarities with Late Acheulian assemblages together with possible variations in the mode of occupations by early hominids at the site, both suggest that the KMW should be conceived as part of the Late Acheulian variability.
The terms Lower Palaeolithic and Middle Palaeolithic represent research constructs within which c... more The terms Lower Palaeolithic and Middle Palaeolithic represent research constructs within which cultural evolution and prehistoric hominin behaviours can be studied, with the transition usually understood as marking a watershed in our evolution: an adaptation with a million-year record of success that gives way to something new. The interpretation of the Lower Palaeolithic Acheulian technocomplex is usually understood as a period of cultural stasis that extends over much of Africa and Eurasia, principally associated with Homo erectus. Those innovations that can be observed occur widely separated from one another in space and time. Yet a closer and more detailed examination of the Middle Pleistocene records from East Africa, southern Africa, Europe and the Levant reveals significant variation in cultural repertoires. A kind of paradox emerges, in which an Old World Lower Palaeolithic, apparently lacking an overall dynamic of distinctive and directed change in terms of cumulative variation over time, nevertheless culminates in a transition which sees the universal appearance of the Middle Palaeolithic. The two main hypotheses that have been advanced to explain the global transition, which happens essentially synchronously, appear mutually exclusive and contradictory. One view is that altered climatic-environmental constraints enabled and encouraged an 'Out-of-Africa' dispersal (or dispersals) of a new type of genus Homo. This cultural replacement model has been challenged more recently by the alternative hypothesis of accumulating but unrelated and temporally non-linked regional, and in fact potentially autochthonous, processes. The Levant, by virtue of its position bridging Africa and Eurasia (thus being the region into which any out-of-Africa groups would have had first to disperse into), must be seen as a critical region for assessing the relative merits of these competing hypotheses.
Over the last 150 years, the Paleolithic era was divided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Paleoli... more Over the last 150 years, the Paleolithic era was divided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Paleolithic. This scheme is an arbitrary research construct that confounds chronological, behavioral, and evolutionary meanings. Transitions between these discrete units, and in particular the Lower/Middle Paleolithic transition, received lesser attention.
At present, the Lower/Middle Paleolithic transition is still depicted as a worldwide change from biface production to Levallois technology, similar to the way it has been perceived in the initial stages of research. Some key questions remain open for further inquiry: What changed technologically and typologically beyond those guide fossils? What is the geographical variation of this global change(s)? Did
changes occur as a result of autochthonous developments in each region or by a diffusion wave (s)? What is the societal process(es) that promoted this evolutionary change?
In this paper, I explore the techno-typological variations (reduction sequences and tool kits) in Europe
north of the Pyrenees and how these traits pattern diachronically and spatially in the interval of MIS 9-7, the period during which the transition between Lower and Middle Paleolithic is suggested to occur. The first step will be to describe the range of behaviors that existed during each MIS. The presentation of those variants will track the decision-making processes within reduction sequences. The technotypological variants will be studied in relation to their relative abundance within each assemblage. Then, I will attempt to estimate if observed changes in those traits resulted from a continuous processes or whether the record constitutes of segmented local histories.
A salvage excavation at the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menahem West in the interior of the I... more A salvage excavation at the Lower Paleolithic site of Kefar Menahem West in the interior of the Israeli coastal plain yielded a flake industry devoid of handaxes and their byproducts. The archeological finds covering an area exceeding 2000 m 2 , are found at the contact of two distinct sedimentological units: Quartzic Brown and hamra (red clay loam paleosols). The absence of handaxes hamper placing the site within the relative chronology of the Lower Paleolithic record of the Levant. New paleomagnetic analysis coupled with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermally transferred optically (TT-OSL) dating yielded a chronological range between 780 and 460 ka for the archeological occupation. The techno-typological similarities with Late Acheulian assemblages together with possible variations in the mode of occupations by early hominids at the site, both suggest that the KMW should be conceived as part of the Late Acheulian variability.
Technological organization entails the ways in which hunter-gatherers shape, make, use, maintain,... more Technological organization entails the ways in which hunter-gatherers shape, make, use, maintain, recycle, and
discard stone tools. Those decision-making processes are dependent upon the mode of occupation and land-use
patterns. These issues are widely discussed in both ethnographic and Paleolithic literature; however, it has rarely
been demonstrated technologically in Lower Paleolithic contexts. In this paper, using the case study of the Late
Lower Paleolithic site of Holon in Israel, I address questions regarding the selection of particular curational strategies
differently employed for various parts of the assemblage. Tool maintenance and the byproducts of such
strategies will be described and articulated within the organization of technology at Holon. In addition, I will
examine the micro-environmental setting in which these curational behaviors exist. In Holon, the complexity of
the curational organization can be regarded as a chosen tactic, rather than an obligatory response to a deficiency
in raw material. Thus, the results of this study exemplify how possible functional needs modify the known techotypological
repertoire. The nature of this interplay has rarely been described within Middle Pleistocene contexts.
Journal of Human …, Jan 1, 2010
This paper presents a geoarchaeological study of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic (Châtelperronian, ... more This paper presents a geoarchaeological study of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic (Châtelperronian, Aurignacian and Solutrean) occupations preserved at the Bordes-Fitte rockshelter in Central France. The lithostratigraphic sequence is composed of near-surface sedimentary facies with vertical and lateral variations, in a context dominated by run-off and gravitational sedimentary processes. Field description and micromorphological analysis permit us to reconstruct several episodes of sediment slope-wash and endokarst dynamics, with hiatuses and erosional phases. The archaeostratigraphic succession includes Châtelperronian artefacts, inter-stratified between Middle Palaeolithic and Aurignacian occupations. Systematic refitting and spatial analysis reveal that the Châtelperronian point production and flake blanks retouched into denticulates, all recovered in the same stratigraphic unit, result from distinct and successive occupations and are not a 'transitional' Middle to Upper Palaeolithic assemblage. The ages obtained by (14)C place the Châtelperronian occupation in the 41-48 ka cal BP (calibrated thousands of years before present) interval and are consistent with the quartz optically stimulated luminescence age of 39 ± 2 ka and feldspar infra-red stimulated luminescence age of 45 ± 2 ka of the sediments. The Bordes-Fitte rockshelter sequence represents an important contribution to the debate about the characterization and timing of the Châtelperronian, as well as its affinities to earlier and later industries.
The recognition of the dynamic role of site formation processes led archaeologists to recognize a... more The recognition of the dynamic role of site formation processes led archaeologists to recognize a behavioral dichotomy between 'living floors' and palimpsests', Yet the archaeological proxies of 'living floor' and 'palimpsest' were never defined formally, and therefore have been used variably. We use archaeological criteria mentioned in the archaeological literature to model types of formation processes. The case study of the Lower Paleolithic open-air site of Revadim Quarry, Israel is used to test the model. Two types of palimpsests, differing in the rate of accumulation and thus in their effects on the anthropogenic remains, were discerned. Based on these results we review some other Lower Paleolithic instances. A sliding scale of formation processes provides a much needed middle ground between the scales of coarse, time-averaged formation processes and short, ''near real-life'' behavioral episodes and is an appropriate archaeological frame of reference.
The late Lower Palaeolithic was a turbulent period with many changes in subsistence as well varia... more The late Lower Palaeolithic was a turbulent period with many changes in subsistence as well variations in the material culture. Yet, despite its importance, few detailed descriptions have been published. In this article we present a techno-typological report on the variability and continuity along the depositional sequence of Area C East, at the open-air site of Revadim, Israel. In order to learn how and in what ways smaller scale variations over time, as well as of micro-environmental changes, affect lithic assemblages the lithic assemblage was initially analysed through the raw material acquisition followed by the examination of flaking methods, analysing the geometrical organisation of the core's volume, recording debitage characteristics and the affinities of the retouched artefacts. The artefacts were documented using 3-D technology and novel methods for analysing the digital image. The technological analysis of the lithic assemblages revealed the existence of four main reduction sequences. The typological variations representing tactical, short term functional need, while the flaking methods are structured learned behaviours socially mediated exhibited via raw material exploitation. The lithic assemblage is a package of both technological and typological traits that remains stable through a prolonged (as yet unknown) period of time. The range of variations of lithic technology of Revadim (ie, the number of technological options and their relative frequency) is maintained throughout micro-environmental changes. The structure of variation observed in Revadim -within a smaller scale, has also been noticed in other Late Lower Palaeolithic assemblages, this in sharp contrast to previous studies of the Lower Palaeolithic and later Early Middle Palaeolithic.
A salvage excavation at Kefar Menachem West in the Southern Shephela, Israel exposed a Lower Pale... more A salvage excavation at Kefar Menachem West in the Southern Shephela, Israel exposed a Lower Paleolithic site in a primary context. This open-air site is embedded on top of a hamra layer overlain by a quartzic brown paleosol approximately three meters below the modern surface.
Ein Qashish by Ariel Malinsky-Buller
Available online xxx a b s t r a c t 'Ein Qashish (EQ) is a late Middle Paleolithic (w60 ka) open... more Available online xxx a b s t r a c t 'Ein Qashish (EQ) is a late Middle Paleolithic (w60 ka) open-air site located in the Yizra'el Valley east of Mt. Carmel, at the geographic center between some of the major Middle Paleolithic cave sites in northern Israel. Three seasons of excavation at the site revealed a small faunal collection and a diverse lithic assemblage. In this paper we discuss the composition, reduction technology, and raw material curation strategies represented in the assemblage. The assemblage is flake-dominated, with low frequencies of retouched artifacts and of cores. Several reduction sequences were identified. Products of Levallois methods appear in low frequencies. The modified artifacts include lightly retouched flakes and blades, side-scrapers, truncations and burins. The low frequencies of primary elements, core trimming elements, and cores suggest that only part of the reduction sequence took place on-site. Side-scrapers may have been imported into the locality. In contrast, short non-Levallois reduction sequences were applied on-site.
by Erella Hovers, Ella Been, Ravid Ekshtain, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Joel Roskin, Reuven Yeshurun, nadav nir, Mareike C Stahlschmidt, Daniella Bar-Yosef, Ariel Malinsky-Buller, and Ruth Shahack-Gross The late Middle Palaeolithic (MP) settlement patterns in the Levant included the repeated use of ... more The late Middle Palaeolithic (MP) settlement patterns in the Levant included the repeated use of caves and open landscape sites. The fossil record shows that two types of hominins occupied the region during this period—Neandertals and Homo sapiens. Until recently, diagnostic fossil remains were found only at cave sites. Because the two populations in this region left similar material cultural remains, it was impossible to attribute any open-air site to either species. In this study, we present newly discovered fossil remains from intact archaeological layers of the open-air site ‘Ein Qashish, in northern Israel. The hominin remains represent three individuals: EQH1, a nondiagnostic skull fragment; EQH2, an upper right third molar (RM3); and EQH3, lower limb bones of a young Neandertal male. EQH2 and EQH3 constitute the first diagnostic anatomical remains of Neandertals at an open-air site in the Levant. The optically stimulated luminescence ages suggest that Neandertals repeatedly visited ‘Ein Qashish between 70 and 60 ka. The discovery of Neandertals at open-air sites during the late MP reinforces the view that Neandertals were a resilient population in the Levant shortly before Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens populated the region.
'Ein Qashish is a Middle Palaeolithic open-air site in the southern Levant, encompassing an excav... more 'Ein Qashish is a Middle Palaeolithic open-air site in the southern Levant, encompassing an excavated area of several hundred square meters and a 4.5-m thick stratigraphic section. Its placement within a fluvial system, combined with the presence of Neanderthal skeletal remains and diverse material culture finds, presents possibilities for understanding human behaviour on the open landscape during the late Middle
Palaeolithic. The aim of this study is to investigate the depositional and post-depositional processes at ‘Ein Qashish, based on the stratigraphic section exposed in the 2013 excavation season. We employed field observations, sedimentology, micromorphology, mineralogy, elemental and isotopic analyses. Our results indicate that the sedimentary sequence, including four archaeological occupation levels, accumulated in a generally low-energy alluvial environment with evidence for syn-depositional localised seasonal water bodies. On-going post-depositional processes related to wetting and drying cycles include shrink-swell and calcite and gypsumpedofeatures. Bone mineral is relativelywell preserved. The data suggest limited fluvial and argilliturbation reworking of artefacts, indicating that spatial patterning of lithic and bone assemblages is rather well preserved in some areas. The current analyses do not indicate the presence of combustion features or fire-related residues at the site, although burned lithics occur in low frequencies. The absence of combustion features in the large
excavated area and deep stratigraphy contrasts with patterns observed inMiddle Palaeolithic cave occupations in the region, adding nuance to a dataset that will enable a better understanding of human activities under sheltered and open-air conditions.
The late Middle Palaeolithic (MP) settlement patterns in the Levant included the repeated use of ... more The late Middle Palaeolithic (MP) settlement patterns in the Levant included the repeated use of caves and open landscape sites. The fossil record shows that two types of hominins occupied the region during this period—Neandertals and Homo sapiens. Until recently, diagnostic fossil remains were found only at cave sites. Because the two populations in this region left similar material cultural remains, it was impossible to attribute any open-air site to either species. In this study, we present newly discovered fossil remains from intact archaeological layers of the open-air site 'Ein Qashish, in northern Israel. The hominin remains represent three individuals: EQH1, a nondiagnostic skull fragment; EQH2, an upper right third molar (RM 3); and EQH3, lower limb bones of a young Neandertal male. EQH2 and EQH3 constitute the first diagnostic anatomical remains of Neandertals at an open-air site in the Levant. The optically stimulated luminescence ages suggest that Neandertals repeatedly visited 'Ein Qashish between 70 and 60 ka. The discovery of Neandertals at open-air sites during the late MP reinforces the view that Neandertals were a resilient population in the Levant shortly before Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens populated the region. The Middle Palaeolithic (MP) of the southern Levant is a significant period for the study of human evolution because two types of hominins, Neandertals and Homo sapiens, occupied the region at that time (see, for example, refs 1 and 2). Diagnostic fossil remains of the two species have been found in the Mediterranean woodland region, but until recently, they were discovered only at cave sites (Fig. 1). The absolute chronology of the Levantine MP fossils indicates that H. sapiens existed there between 120 and 90 ka and again from 55 ka on; Neandertals existed in that region between ca. 80 and ca. 55 ka 3–16. The genomic evidence suggests gene flow from early H. sapiens to
by omry barzilai, Ravid Ekshtain, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Naomi Porat, Joel Roskin, Ella Been, Ariel Malinsky-Buller, Mareike C Stahlschmidt, nadav nir, Daniella Bar-Yosef, and Ruth Shahack-Gross The late Middle Palaeolithic (MP) settlement patterns in the Levant included the repeated use of ... more The late Middle Palaeolithic (MP) settlement patterns in the Levant included the repeated use of caves and open landscape sites. The fossil record shows that two types of hominins occupied the region during this period—Neandertals and Homo sapiens. Until recently, diagnostic fossil remains were found only at cave sites. Because the two populations in this region left similar material cultural remains, it was impossible to attribute any open-air site to either species. In this study, we present newly discovered fossil remains from intact archaeological layers of the open-air site 'Ein Qashish, in northern Israel. The hominin remains represent three individuals: EQH1, a nondiagnostic skull fragment; EQH2, an upper right third molar (RM 3); and EQH3, lower limb bones of a young Neandertal male. EQH2 and EQH3 constitute the first diagnostic anatomical remains of Neandertals at an open-air site in the Levant. The optically stimulated luminescence ages suggest that Neandertals repeatedly visited 'Ein Qashish between 70 and 60 ka. The discovery of Neandertals at open-air sites during the late MP reinforces the view that Neandertals were a resilient population in the Levant shortly before Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens populated the region. The Middle Palaeolithic (MP) of the southern Levant is a significant period for the study of human evolution because two types of hominins, Neandertals and Homo sapiens, occupied the region at that time (see, for example, refs 1 and 2). Diagnostic fossil remains of the two species have been found in the Mediterranean woodland region, but until recently, they were discovered only at cave sites (Fig. 1). The absolute chronology of the Levantine MP fossils indicates that H. sapiens existed there between 120 and 90 ka and again from 55 ka on; Neandertals existed in that region between ca. 80 and ca. 55 ka 3–16. The genomic evidence suggests gene flow from early H. sapiens to
yielded remains of a campsite from the Mousterian period (70,000-60,000 YBP; Hovers et al. 2008; ... more yielded remains of a campsite from the Mousterian period (70,000-60,000 YBP; Hovers et al. 2008; Greenbaum et al. 2014). Among the most striking finds from these excavations is a complete hornedskull of an auroch (Bos primigenius) found alongside flint tools and fragments of animal bones. In the summer of 2012, prior to the construction of the CrossIsrael Highway, mechanical equipment was used to excavate trial trenches around 'En
‘Ein Qashish (EQ) is a late Middle Paleolithic (w60 ka) open-air site located in the Yizra’el Val... more ‘Ein Qashish (EQ) is a late Middle Paleolithic (w60 ka) open-air site located in the Yizra’el Valley east of
Mt. Carmel, at the geographic center between some of the major Middle Paleolithic cave sites in northern Israel. Three seasons of excavation at the site revealed a small faunal collection and a diverse lithic assemblage. In this paper we discuss the composition, reduction technology, and raw material curation strategies represented in the assemblage. The assemblage is flake-dominated, with low frequencies
of retouched artifacts and of cores. Several reduction sequences were identified. Products of Levallois methods appear in low frequencies. The modified artifacts include lightly retouched flakes and blades, side-scrapers, truncations and burins. The low frequencies of primary elements, core trimming elements, and cores suggest that only part of the reduction sequence took place on-site. Side-scrapers may have been imported into the locality. In contrast, short non-Levallois reduction sequences were
applied on-site. The expedient nature of the retouch and of local reduction sequences suggests that the site represents
an ephemeral occupation(s) on the banks of the Qishon stream. The nature of the lithic assemblage is not
consistent with specific tasks such as butchery or hunting. Technological aspects of the assemblage and
its composition bear similarities to those observed in habitation sites found in caves in the late Middle
Paleolithic.
Available online xxx a b s t r a c t
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Lower and Middle Paleolithic by Ariel Malinsky-Buller
straightforward and emerges from the interplay of many demographic, economic, social and ecological variables. Formal modelling has yielded interesting insights into the complex relationship between population structure, intergroup connectedness, and magnitude and extent of population extinctions. Such studies have highlighted the importance of effective (as opposed to census) population size in transmission processes. At the same time, it remained unclear how such insights can be applied to material culture phenomena in the prehistoric record, especially for deeper prehistory. In this paper we approach the issue of population sizes during the time of the Lower to Middle Paleolithic transition through the proxy of regional trajectories of lithic technological change, identified in the archaeological records from Africa, the Levant, Southwestern and Northwestern Europe. Our discussion of the results
takes into consideration the constraints inherent to the archaeological record of deep time e e.g., preservation bias, time-averaging and the incomplete nature of the archaeological record and of extrapolation from discrete archaeological case studies to an evolutionary time scale. We suggest that technological trajectories of change over this transitional period reflect the robustness of transmission networks. Our results show differences in the pattern and rate of cultural transmission in these regions, from which we infer that information networks, and their underlying effective population sizes, also differed.
At present, the Lower/Middle Paleolithic transition is still depicted as a worldwide change from biface production to Levallois technology, similar to the way it has been perceived in the initial stages of research. Some key questions remain open for further inquiry: What changed technologically and typologically beyond those guide fossils? What is the geographical variation of this global change(s)? Did
changes occur as a result of autochthonous developments in each region or by a diffusion wave (s)? What is the societal process(es) that promoted this evolutionary change?
In this paper, I explore the techno-typological variations (reduction sequences and tool kits) in Europe
north of the Pyrenees and how these traits pattern diachronically and spatially in the interval of MIS 9-7, the period during which the transition between Lower and Middle Paleolithic is suggested to occur. The first step will be to describe the range of behaviors that existed during each MIS. The presentation of those variants will track the decision-making processes within reduction sequences. The technotypological variants will be studied in relation to their relative abundance within each assemblage. Then, I will attempt to estimate if observed changes in those traits resulted from a continuous processes or whether the record constitutes of segmented local histories.
discard stone tools. Those decision-making processes are dependent upon the mode of occupation and land-use
patterns. These issues are widely discussed in both ethnographic and Paleolithic literature; however, it has rarely
been demonstrated technologically in Lower Paleolithic contexts. In this paper, using the case study of the Late
Lower Paleolithic site of Holon in Israel, I address questions regarding the selection of particular curational strategies
differently employed for various parts of the assemblage. Tool maintenance and the byproducts of such
strategies will be described and articulated within the organization of technology at Holon. In addition, I will
examine the micro-environmental setting in which these curational behaviors exist. In Holon, the complexity of
the curational organization can be regarded as a chosen tactic, rather than an obligatory response to a deficiency
in raw material. Thus, the results of this study exemplify how possible functional needs modify the known techotypological
repertoire. The nature of this interplay has rarely been described within Middle Pleistocene contexts.
Ein Qashish by Ariel Malinsky-Buller
Palaeolithic. The aim of this study is to investigate the depositional and post-depositional processes at ‘Ein Qashish, based on the stratigraphic section exposed in the 2013 excavation season. We employed field observations, sedimentology, micromorphology, mineralogy, elemental and isotopic analyses. Our results indicate that the sedimentary sequence, including four archaeological occupation levels, accumulated in a generally low-energy alluvial environment with evidence for syn-depositional localised seasonal water bodies. On-going post-depositional processes related to wetting and drying cycles include shrink-swell and calcite and gypsumpedofeatures. Bone mineral is relativelywell preserved. The data suggest limited fluvial and argilliturbation reworking of artefacts, indicating that spatial patterning of lithic and bone assemblages is rather well preserved in some areas. The current analyses do not indicate the presence of combustion features or fire-related residues at the site, although burned lithics occur in low frequencies. The absence of combustion features in the large
excavated area and deep stratigraphy contrasts with patterns observed inMiddle Palaeolithic cave occupations in the region, adding nuance to a dataset that will enable a better understanding of human activities under sheltered and open-air conditions.
Mt. Carmel, at the geographic center between some of the major Middle Paleolithic cave sites in northern Israel. Three seasons of excavation at the site revealed a small faunal collection and a diverse lithic assemblage. In this paper we discuss the composition, reduction technology, and raw material curation strategies represented in the assemblage. The assemblage is flake-dominated, with low frequencies
of retouched artifacts and of cores. Several reduction sequences were identified. Products of Levallois methods appear in low frequencies. The modified artifacts include lightly retouched flakes and blades, side-scrapers, truncations and burins. The low frequencies of primary elements, core trimming elements, and cores suggest that only part of the reduction sequence took place on-site. Side-scrapers may have been imported into the locality. In contrast, short non-Levallois reduction sequences were
applied on-site. The expedient nature of the retouch and of local reduction sequences suggests that the site represents
an ephemeral occupation(s) on the banks of the Qishon stream. The nature of the lithic assemblage is not
consistent with specific tasks such as butchery or hunting. Technological aspects of the assemblage and
its composition bear similarities to those observed in habitation sites found in caves in the late Middle
Paleolithic.