Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.
Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.
J Hum Evol. 2022 Apr;165:103153. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103153. Epub 2022 Mar 14.
Studies of flake tools in the British Lower Paleolithic are rare owing to lower quantities of flake tools than handaxes and the perception that flake tool technology became more important in the succeeding Middle Paleolithic. In Britain, and Europe more broadly, MIS 9 (328-301 ka) has been characterized as a period of technological transition owing to the presence of early prepared core technology and the status of the period as the final interglacial prior to the onset of the Middle Paleolithic. It has been argued that the period demonstrates an increase in both the numbers and importance of flake tools, possibly showing emerging Middle Paleolithic behaviors. This study presents the results of a technological examination of flake tools in Britain during MIS 9, focusing on 25 sites, including 15 assemblages previously recorded as having higher quantities of flake tools. We use these assemblages to assess whether the flake tools of MIS 9 represent a transition toward the technology of the Middle Paleolithic. We consider factors including collection history, site formation, function, reduction, and cultural groups. We argue that in Britain the archaeological record of MIS 9 does not show an increase in the use of flake tools and demonstrates more continuity than change in relation to earlier periods of the Lower Paleolithic. There is a technological background of ad hoc retouch of simple flake tools with occasional evidence of more invasively retouched scrapers. Furthermore, aside from the introduction of Levallois technology, flake tools change little in the Early Middle Paleolithic. These results are contextualized within the broader evidence from Europe and comparisons to the longer sequences at key sites. We conclude that the major changes in technology began between MIS 13 and MIS 11 and these merely became cemented during MIS 9 and the following Middle Paleolithic.
在英国旧石器时代下部，由于石片工具的数量少于手斧，并且人们认为在随后的中石器时代，石片工具技术变得更加重要，因此对石片工具的研究很少。在英国，以及更广泛的欧洲，MIS 9（32.8-30.1 万年）被认为是一个技术过渡时期，因为早期出现了预制核心技术，并且该时期是中石器时代之前的最后一个间冰期。有人认为，该时期石片工具的数量和重要性都有所增加，可能显示出正在出现的中石器时代行为。本研究介绍了英国在 MIS 9 期间对石片工具进行的技术研究结果，重点研究了 25 个地点，包括 15 个以前记录的石片工具数量较高的组合。我们使用这些组合来评估 MIS 9 的石片工具是否代表向中石器时代技术的过渡。我们考虑了包括收集历史、遗址形成、功能、减少和文化群体在内的因素。我们认为，在英国，MIS 9 的考古记录并没有显示出石片工具使用量的增加，与旧石器时代早期相比，表现出更多的连续性而不是变化。存在对简单石片工具进行临时修饰的技术背景，偶尔有证据表明更具侵入性的刮刀修饰。此外，除了引入勒瓦卢瓦技术外，在早中石器时代，石片工具几乎没有变化。这些结果在欧洲更广泛的证据背景下以及与关键地点的更长序列进行了比较。我们得出结论，技术的主要变化始于 MIS 13 和 MIS 11 之间，并且这些变化在 MIS 9 和随后的中石器时代只是得到了巩固。
