PALÉORIENT. vol. 19/2 - 1993

THE PROBLEM OF CHANGES IN LEVALLOIS TECHNIQUE DURING THE TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSITION FROM THE MIDDLE TO UPPER PALAEOLITHIC

Y. E. DEMIDENKO and V. I. USIK

Introduction

The nineteen seventies and eighties were characterized by the discovery of new lithic complexes technologically transient from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic. These have added to the already known most important stratigraphie sites of the Old World. There were no previous analogues to their chronological and basic techno-typological characteristics. They were excavated both in the Near East at such sites as Boker Tachtit, layers 1-3 (1), Ain Difla (2) and in southern Moravia (southeastern Europe) at such sites as Brno-Bohunice (3), Stránská skala III and Ilia-lower layer (4). In spite of certain techno-typological, chronological and, of course, geographical differences, the above-mentioned complexes may be attributed to one and the same technological approach, as seen by their common features.

The industries

On the basis of evidence obtained, mainly by radiocarbon dating, these industries may be arranged chronologically as occurring from 47,000 to 38,000

B.P. (5). Typologically, they are characterized by the presence both of Upper Palaeolithic types of tools (end-scrapers and burins) and Middle Palaeolithic forms (mainly side-scrapers), the latter being a rather rare occurrence in the Near East. Their principal technological characteristics are as follows : a high level of blades (30-50 %), a high or average level of "large" faceting (30-60 %), and numerous Levallois points with faceted striking platforms. These indices, however, being within Middle Palaeolithic technology, acquire a quite new meaning if additional factors are taken into account, namely : the dominance of opposed platform blade cores; the presence of a large number of crested blades (lames à crête); and the specific features of Levallois points, in many cases, having blade proportions and bidirectional dorsal scar patterns (fig. 1 ).

The analysis of core and flake peculiarities and the application of results from collection refitting has made it possible to construct the main strategy of primary flaking utilized at one of the Near Eastern sites, layers 1-3 of Boker Tachtit (6). This strategy can be represented schematically in the following way : there was a central crested ridge formed after removing the cortex from the flint nodule. Then the ridge was removed by flaking the crested blade