The Early Middle Palaeolithic lithic industry of Dederiyeh Cave,Northwest Syria |
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Institution: | 1. The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan;2. Institute for Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Tübingen University, Burgsteige 11 Schloss, Hohentübingen, Tübingen 72070, Germany;3. Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Miyanokuchi 185, Kami City, Kochi 782-8502, Japan |
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Abstract: | The Lower-to-Middle Paleolithic transition of the Levant has attracted much attention, particularly because the early Middle Paleolithic is the period when the earliest anatomically modern humans fossils known to date in Eurasia have been attested in that part of Asia . The associated lithic assemblages are a significant source of information for investigating the cultural landscape of this important transition. This paper presents a new dataset from the 2003–2009 excavations at Dederiyeh Cave, northwest of Syria. A techno-typological analysis of the lithic industry reveals a common practice of blade blank production, which corroborates the other known early Middle Paleolithic assemblages of the Levant. However, its strong emphasis on Levallois core reduction and sidescraper manufacturing is noteworthy. The significance of this finding deserves further research from multiple viewpoints, including the functional and spatio-temporal variability of hominin activities in this period. It will be also important to interpret the techno-typological diagnostics of the early Middle Paleolithic assemblage of Dederiyeh considering its geographic location at the northern end of the Levant, distant from the previously known sites in the central and southern Levant. |
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Keywords: | Middle Paleolithic of the Levant Blade production Early modern humans Levallois technology Abu Sif/Hummal points Paléolithique moyen du Levant Fabrication de lames Premiers humains modernes Technologie Levallois Points Abou Sif/Hummal |
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