Small flake production and lithic recycling at Late Acheulian Revadim, Israel

The multi-layered Lower Paleolithic Acheulian site of Revadim Quarry provides a rare opportunity to study patterns of continuity and change within the lithic assemblages of the Late Lower Paleolithic period in the Levant. This open-air site was excavated to a large extent (∼250 m2) and yielded a wealth of lithic and faunal remains. The rich lithic assemblages are typical of the Late Acheulian in the Levant, including handaxes, but mostly dominated by flake production and flake tools. In this paper, we present the results of a technological study recently conducted in order to establish the character and scale of lithic recycling directed towards the production of small flakes (<2 cm). Our results shed new light on the character and extent of Lower Paleolithic production of small flakes by means of lithic recycling, providing an opportunity for comparison with similar phenomena during contemporaneous as well as later cultural complexes in the Levant and beyond.