Three Dimensional Aggregate Flake Scar Analysis on Experimental Lithics, and Archaeological Lithics from Tabun Cave, Israel

Summary

Dorsal flake scar directionality is used in lithic analysis to infer methods of core reduction and flake production. This has been done in two dimensions. This study analyzes flake scars at the assemblage level in three dimensions. I use both experimental assemblages (bifacial, blade, discoidal, and levallois) as well as archaeological samples from Tabun Cave, Israel, an important reference sequence (partly defined by scar patterning) for the Levantine Paleolithic. Experimental samples provide a comparative baseline with known production methods. The samples from Tabun Cave represent Units I and IX, respectively Tabun C-type and Tabun D-type, and some of their respective beds. Results from the experimental samples’ scar analysis suggest different methods of reduction are distinguishable in some cases. Results from the archaeological assemblages suggest some assemblages are indistinguishable, e.g. the two Beds from Unit I, while other comparisons, e.g. between Units I and IX as well as between some of the Beds within Unit IX, suggest the utility of the new method to differentiate archaeological samples by their 3D scar pattern variables. In particular, the ability of the method to distinguish between individual beds within Unit IX calls into question the legitimacy of treating Tabun "types" as monolithic categories.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16310