In press publication: Eurasian Prehistory, O. Bar-Yosef and J. K. Kozlowski (eds.).  American School of Prehistoric Research, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University

The Levantine Aurignacian Debate: Searching for Meaning in the Variability

John K. Williams

Abstract

The Levantine Aurignacian has not received the same long history of attention afforded to the European Aurignacian. Nor does it produce the same heated discussion as seen in Europe, primarily because the Levantine Aurignacian is, for the most part, disassociated with the issue of archaic versus modern humans. The appearance of modern humans antedates the Levantine Aurignacian, and indeed the technological shift from Middle- to Upper-Paleolithic, by tens of thousand years. Further, the earliest Upper Paleolithic entity is not the Levantine Aurignacian, but rather a local industry termed the Ahmarian. The Levantine Aurignacian arrives later, and appears to co-exist with the Ahmarian for at least a few thousand years.

Although the attention that it receives pales in comparison with that seen in Europe, the Levantine Aurignacian remains one of the most disputed topics in the Upper Paleolithic of this region. The major issues surrounding the Levantine Aurignacian are its identification and defining characteristics, its geographical distribution, and its relationship with other Upper Paleolithic industries, including the European Aurignacian. Originally defined on the basis of its similarity with Europe, the Levantine Aurignacian remains an entity with unclear boundaries and characteristics. Researchers are divided between those who suggest a refined definition of the Levantine Aurignacian, on the basis of close similarities with the French Aurignacian, and those who prefer a broader definition that encompasses most assemblages that produce flakes, thick blades, and twisted bladelets. Most of the disagreement is centered on whether or not Levantine Aurignacian assemblages are refined to a small strip the Mediterranean woodlands in northern Israel and Lebanon, or if they are also found within the steppe and desert regions of the marginal zone.

This paper presents the results of a detailed study of lithic assemblages throughout the Levant that have been labeled ‘Levantine Aurignacian”, within both the Mediterranean woodlands and the marginal zone. A review and comparison of these assemblages is presented in this paper according to comparable, relevant artifactual criteria and attributes. These assemblages can be grouped at the broader classification of complex/lineage, but are divided into three industries, on the basis of their lithic reduction sequences. The differences between these industries is explained within a framework of chronological trends reflecting intensified exploitation of certain subsistence strategies, as a response to the combined effects of demographic pressure and climatic deterioration at the end of the Upper Paleolithic.