Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
Department of Classics, LTFAPA Laboratory, Sapienza, University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro, Rome, 00185, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2019 Sep 10;9(1):13031. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-49650-8.
Stone tools provide a unique window into the mode of adaptation and cognitive abilities of Lower Paleolithic early humans. The persistently produced large cutting tools (bifaces/handaxes) have long been an appealing focus of research in the reconstruction of Lower Paleolithic survival strategies, at the expenses of the small flake tools considered by-products of the stone production process rather than desired end products. Here, we use use-wear, residues and technological analyses to show direct and very early evidence of the deliberate production and use of small flakes for targeted stages of the prey butchery process at the late Lower Paleolithic Acheulian site of Revadim, Israel. We highlight the significant role of small flakes in Lower Paleolithic adaptation alongside the canonical large handaxes. Our results demonstrate the technological and cognitive flexibility of early human groups in the Levant and beyond at the threshold of the departure from Lower Paleolithic lifeways.
石器为研究旧石器时代早期人类的适应模式和认知能力提供了一个独特的窗口。长期以来，大量生产的大型切割工具（两面器/手斧）一直是研究旧石器时代生存策略的一个吸引人的焦点，而被认为是石器生产过程副产品的小型薄片工具则被忽视了，而不是期望的最终产品。在这里，我们使用使用痕迹、残留物和技术分析来直接展示在以色列晚期旧石器时代阿舍利遗址雷瓦迪姆，为猎物屠宰过程的特定阶段有目的地生产和使用小型薄片的直接而非常早期的证据。我们强调了小型薄片在旧石器时代适应中的重要作用，同时也强调了经典的大型手斧的作用。我们的研究结果表明，在离开旧石器时代生活方式的门槛处，黎凡特及其他地区的早期人类群体在技术和认知方面具有灵活性。
