Geometric Morphometric Analyses of Levallois Points from the Levantine Middle Paleolithic do not Support Functional Specialization

ABSTRACT

Levallois points are a prominent part of many Levantine Middle Paleolithic assemblages. They are either produced intentionally or incidentally by the Levallois core reduction technique and are of a generally similar shape, although the degree to which they were used as specialized tools has been questioned. Here, we examine Levallois points using geometric morphometric analyses to assess the range of shape variation in this artifact type. We then compare Levallois point shape variation and symmetry to a sample of Late Pleistocene-aged Folsom projectile points from North America. Folsom are highly standardized projectile points that current evidence suggests were primarily used for hunting ancient bison. Our results indicate that Levallois points are more variable and asymmetrical than Folsom and therefore more generalized than Folsom. Differences in manufacturing technique, hafting, and delivery system when used as weapons are posited as playing roles in the differences in shape and symmetry that we document.

KEYWORDS:

• Middle Paleolithic‌
• Levallois points
• Folsom
• geometric morphometrics
• symmetry
• specialization

Acknowledgement

We would like to dedicate this manuscript to the memory of Professors Arthur Jelinek and Donald Henry. Their research had an indelible impact on archaeologists’ understanding of the region. We thank Arthur for allowing us to examine the Tabun collection at the University of Arizona and Don for the Tor Sabiha and Tor Faraj collections at the University of Tulsa.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Briggs Buchanan

Briggs Buchanan, Ph.D., is a Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology & Sociology at the University of Tulsa.

Marcus J. Hamilton

Marcus J. Hamilton, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and on the faculty council of the School of Data Science at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Danielle Macdonald

Danielle Macdonald, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology & Sociology at the University of Tulsa.

James Blinkhorn

James Blinkhorn, Ph.D., is a Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Pan-African Evolution Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, working with the Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London.

Huw S. Groucutt

Huw S. Groucutt, Ph.D., is a lecturer in Mediterranean Prehistory at the University of Malta and independent group leader of the Max Planck Society’s Extreme Events Research Group.

Metin I. Eren

Metin I. Eren, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Kent State University and Research Associate at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Steven L. Kuhn

Steven L. Kuhn, Ph.D., is Riecker Professor of Anthropology, in the School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona.