Middle Paleolithic open-air industrial areas in the Galilee, Israel: The challenging study of flint extraction and reduction complexes

During the last dozen years, we discovered, tested and studied several Paleolithic flint extraction and reduction complexes in northern Israel. These Paleolithic industrial areas are assigned, based on lithic techno-typology, to the Lower-Middle Paleolithic of the Levant. However, the most conspicuous component in all these complexes is the constant use of the Levallois technology. The immense scale of these sites and the immense lithic assemblages allowed only preliminary field investigations and analyses. Such Paleolithic industrial areas demand a different research design than the one used at habitation sites or other task-specific localities. Previous work demonstrated the potential of these complexes in understanding patterns of human behavior related to flint economy, the organization of quarrying and knapping operations, the scale of human exploitation of the natural resources, caching behavior and more. Our investigations thus far are, however, only the tip of the iceberg of the research potential embedded within these unique archaeological complexes. This paper raises questions on methodological and conceptual challenges we are confronted within studying these Paleolithic extraction–reduction complexes, especially their formation processes. It also brings up the question of how such sites can be incorporated in the future study of Middle Paleolithic Mousterian in the Levant.