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61 - Lower and Middle Palaeolithic of Lebanon

from Part VI: - Humans in the Levant

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 May 2017

Yehouda Enzel
Affiliation:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Ofer Bar-Yosef
Affiliation:
Harvard University, Massachusetts
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Summary

Lebanon possess an important, extensive, but under researched Lower and Middle Palaeolithic record. This chapter provides a new, updated synthesis of this record and outlines its wider significance to the earlier Palaeolithic of the Levant. The archaeological datasets can be subdivided between those belonging to the earlier Lower Palaeolithic, the late Lower Palaeolithic and the Middle Palaeolithic, The former consist of handaxe dominated assemblages from within fluvial and coastal raised beach deposits, whilst the latter comprises collections dominated by Levallois flaking recovered from the surfaces of these deposits and stratified within cave systems. These are chronologically separated by a series of important, technologically varied lithic assemblages from coastal caves and rockshelters that are assigned to the Acheulo-Yabrudian techno-complex. This chapter reviews these datasets, provides a new synthesis of the Acheuolo-Yabrudian material and considers how the earlier Palaeolithic of Lebanon reflects changing human behavioural strategies within this region of the Levant.
Type
Chapter
Information
Quaternary of the Levant
Environments, Climate Change, and Humans
, pp. 555 - 566
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2017

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