Journal of paleolithic archaeology最新文献

This study describes a Middle Stone Age (MSA) assemblage from Ha Makotoko, Lesotho. Excavated in 2010, the assemblage dates to > 42 ka and falls within Marine Isotope Stage 3. Faunal remains indicate a grassland environment during the time of occupation. The lithic artefacts found at Ha Makotoko comprise a predominantly flake-based industry with some blades and an increasing frequency of bladelets throughout the sequence. Artefacts were primarily made on fine-grained materials and cores were mainly struck irregularly. The few tools present include points, and miscellaneously retouched pieces are common. Use-wear traces on points show direct evidence of hafting, with butchering and woodworking indicated. The MSA assemblage from Ha Makotoko is compared to material from the nearby sites of Ntloana Tšoana and Rose Cottage Cave, as well as sites further to the east in the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains and along South Africa's southeastern coast. These comparisons confirm its association with the post-Howiesons Poort technocomplex of Marine Isotope Stage 3 and reveal similarities to the final MSA. However, the high amount of informal retouch and other differences further complexify what is already considered a technologically highly variable period. Presenting this assemblage here adds additional evidence for a phase of the Middle Stone Age that remains poorly understood in its entirety. Situated along the intersection of Afroalpine and grassland environments in western Lesotho, Ha Makotoko offers a bridging record for these contrasting ecologies that highlights the diverse applicability of post-Howiesons Poort and final MSA toolkits.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41982-025-00238-x.

Despite the widespread acceptance of the Clactonian during the earlier part of the Hoxnian interglacial (MIS 11c) in Britain, the subsequent occurrence of a non-handaxe signature early in the following interglacial (MIS 10/9) has received less coverage and remains contentious. Recent work on MIS 9 in Britain has re-evaluated the archaeology of the period. This paper offers a critical assessment of the non-handaxe signature in MIS 9 Britain, including the addition of Redhill in East Anglia from recent excavations. The paper is an evaluation of the evidence for distinct core and flake assemblages, analysing the technology and offering a comparison with handaxe sites from the interglacial. Four non-handaxe sites can be identified in the Thames and East Anglia; the technology of the artefacts they yield represents a base line that cannot be differentiated from the wider Lower Palaeolithic other than in terms of the presence/absence of handaxe manufacture. Due to the lack of positive identifiers, the MIS 9 technology cannot be linked directly to the Clactonian and should be treated separately. Given the temporal pattern of occurrence early in the interglacial in both MIS 11 and MIS 9, and no convincing functional or raw-material explanations, the assemblages are interpreted as a cultural signature. This fits into the wider variation across Europe during the Lower Palaeolithic linked to the 'Cultural Mosaic Model', and a further example of the nuanced chronological patterns emerging in the Lower Palaeolithic of Britain.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41982-025-00217-2.

Microwear analysis of lithic artifacts offers potential to reconstruct the post-depositional history of prehistoric assemblages, as flint's microcrystalline structure preserves mechanical and chemical traces over time. While micro-use-wear studies have long examined tool function, their application to taphonomic processes remains underexplored. The techniques and protocols used in use-wear studies could be applied to reconstruct the taphonomic life-history of these artifacts, but this approach has not yet become mainstream. Here, we perform an in-depth review of use-wear literature and report our findings with organizing them into four main issues: the debates on the mechanical versus chemical origin of post-depositional polishes; the difficulties with classification or quantification of surface and ridges alterations; the distinction of dirt layers from alterations; and the experimental references available for assessing micro-alterations. The limitations we identify allow us to suggest the necessity of performing mineralogical analysis of post-depositional polishes to confirm their origin, systematic high-magnification assessment of alterations on surfaces/ridges-for instance using a simple ordinal scale to facilitate the analysis of large samples of artifacts-and adopting an efficient cleaning protocols prior to microwear analysis. We also conclude that there is a need to design and perform in vitro replication of natural polishes under controlled conditions that mimic the conditions of prehistoric sites in low entropy system close to "primary contexts." With this paper, we show that integrating the techniques of microwear analysis into the toolkit of geoarchaeology has the potential to advance the reconstruction of site formation processes.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41982-025-00225-2.

The chrono-cultural sequence of the Levantine Upper Paleolithic went through several major revisions during approximately a century of focused research, each revision contributing to shedding light on the mosaic of cultural entities and the complex social and cultural dynamics composing the Levantine Upper Paleolithic. The current state of research suggests the co-inhabitance of two cultural groups: the Early Ahmarian and the Levantine Aurignacian. Two other cultural entities, the Arkov-Divshon and the Atlitian, are regarded as younger manifestations and were tentatively suggested to relate to the Levantine Aurignacian. This paper presents a research synthesis of two case studies: Manot Cave, located in western Galilee, Israel, and Nahal Rahaf 2 Rockshelter in the Judean Desert. The application of high-resolution excavation methods, alongside detailed documentation of the stratigraphy and site-formation processes and wide-scale radiocarbon-based absolute dating, marked these sites as ideal for chrono-cultural study through the analyses of flint industries. The results indicate a clear distinction between the Levantine Aurignacian and the Arkov-Divshon/Atlitian industries and a chronological overlap between the Arkov-Divshon, Levantine Aurignacian, and possibly with the Early Ahmarian. Subsequently, we suggest another revision of the currently accepted chrono-cultural model: not two, but at least three cultural entities co-inhabited the Levant at ca. 40-30 ky cal BP. This study further suggests an evolvement of the Atlitian flint industries from the Arkov-Divshon and stresses the foreign cultural features of the Levantine Aurignacian. These results were used to construct an updated model of migration and possible interaction patterns.