Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, 234 Herzl St., 76100 Rehovot, Israel; Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv University, P.O.B. 39040, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel Aviv University, P.O.B. 39040, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; Diet and Ancient Technology Laboratory (DANTE), Sapienza Università di Roma, Via Caserta 6, 00185, Rome, Italy.
J Hum Evol. 2020 Jul;144:102798. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102798. Epub 2020 May 4.
Quina scrapers are well-known components of the European Middle Paleolithic Mousterian. A similar production process was detected within the lithic assemblages of the Levantine Acheulo-Yabrudian (∼400-200 ka). This study combines the results of use-wear and raw material analyses of 75 Quina scrapers and 133 demi-Quina scrapers from the Acheulo-Yabrudian site Qesem Cave, Israel, aimed at interpreting the function of Quina and demi-Quina at Qesem Cave, the considerations affecting the lithic choices involved in their production, and the behavioral and evolutionary implications. Each scraper was examined for use-wear and was assigned to a flint type and potential geologic source(s). Our results demonstrate a selective pattern of exploitation of flint which does not originate from the local Turonian outcrops, specifically for the manufacture of Quina and demi-Quina scrapers. This suggests a thoughtful, well-planned effort, taking into consideration the flint traits and future function. This pattern repeats itself throughout time, reflecting a high degree of familiarity with the potential sources located around the cave, implying the existence of knowledge transmission mechanisms concerning the location of specific flint sources and their acquisition methods, as well as concerning exploitation preferences.
奎那刮刀是欧洲中更新世莫斯特文化中众所周知的组成部分。在黎凡特阿舍利-亚伯鲁德石器时代（约 40 万至 20 万年前）的石器组合中也发现了类似的生产过程。本研究结合了对以色列 Qesem 洞穴阿舍利-亚伯鲁德遗址的 75 个奎那刮刀和 133 个半奎那刮刀的使用痕迹和原材料分析的结果，旨在解释 Qesem 洞穴中奎那和半奎那的功能、影响其生产的石器选择的考虑因素，以及行为和进化意义。对每个刮刀都进行了使用痕迹检查，并分配给一种燧石类型和潜在的地质来源。我们的结果表明，对燧石的开发存在一种选择性模式，这种燧石并非源自当地的图伦阶露头，特别是用于制造奎那和半奎那刮刀。这表明这是一种深思熟虑、精心策划的努力，考虑到了燧石的特点和未来的功能。这种模式随着时间的推移不断重复，反映出对位于洞穴周围的潜在来源的高度熟悉程度，暗示着存在关于特定燧石来源及其获取方法的知识传播机制，以及关于开发偏好的知识传播机制。
