Exploring the Gross-Edge Curvature of Experimentally Produced Preferential Levallois Debitage

Abstract

ABSTRACT Flaked stone reduced via a Levallois, or Levallois-like, sequence potentially provided benefits to hominins in terms of flake morphology and economy relative to other sequences. But such benefits did not come without costs. Here, we contribute to ongoing debates regarding Levallois technology by assessing the gross-edge curvature of experimentally produced Levallois debitage and Preferential Levallois Flake (PLF) edges. Previous experiments have shown that as gross-edge curvature increases, cutting efficiency decreases. As such, our results allow us to evaluate standardized gross-edge curvature throughout multiple Preferential Levallois Core reduction stages. Also, among several results, we show that as Levallois debitage size decreases, so too does gross-edge curvature, suggesting that knappers pursuing a Levallois core to exhaustion will not be penalized in terms of this feature.