Production and Structural Tendency of Levallois Points in the Late Middle Palaeolithic of the Near East Steppe Zones and Arabia

During the Middle Palaeolithic, the inland regions of the Near East were a crossroads of lithic technical influences based on a specific model of human mobility. This paper presents a study of Levallois points from the site of Umm el Tlel in Syria, specifically from archaeological level VI3d’ dated to around 71,000 BP (isotopic stage 5a/4). While variable production strategies are employed, the bidirectional-divergent method is notable for its resemblance to Nubian technology which is present in the wider region. We examine the production methods and structural diversity of Levallois points in level VI3d’ and question the possible wider cultural interactions between the Near East and its southern peripheral regions. We attempt to determine whether this particular configuration results from the local evolution of a population and culture indigenous to the Syrian Plateau or reflects intrusive cultural phenomena associated with a new population wave coming from the Levantine coastal zone or even the Arabian Peninsula.