The problem of changes in Levallois technique during the technological transition from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic

In this article we examine the basis of primary flaking technology, the particularities of the Levallois-based industries of the transitional period from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic in the Near East (Southern Levant) and Central and Eastern Europe (southern Moravia and western Ukraine). An analysis is presented of the possible technological "generic" links between the Middle Palaeolithic Levallois industries and those of the transition from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic. Elements of similarity and difference are determined for the corresponding industries in the Near East and Europe, with regard to changes in core reduction strategies and typologies in the course of development from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Transitional industries.