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

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Levallois
• experimental archaeology
• gross-edge curvature
• slicing

Acknowledgements

We are appreciative to editors Huw Groucutt, Justin Pargeter, and Ceri Shipton. M.I.E. is supported by the Kent State University College of Arts and Sciences. The authors also thank Matt Edling, Managing Director of the Anthropology Laboratories at the University of Minnesota, for this help with this project.

Disclosure Statement

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

Data Available Statement

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article [and/or] its supplementary materials.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the Leakey Foundation [grant number CON000000084574].

Notes on contributors

Somaye Khaksar

Somaye Khaksar (Ph.D.) is a postdoctoral associate in the Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Briggs Buchanan

Briggs Buchanan (Ph.D.) is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Tulsa.

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. He is co-director of the Kent State University Experimental Archaeology Laboratory.

Gilbert Tostevin

Gilbert Tostevin (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus.