Technological radiation and the process of technological change at the end of the Levantine Lower Paleolithic

The systematics of Paleolithic stone tools often borrows the concept of lineage from biological evolution. The goal of this paper is to explore the applicability of the concept of adaptive radiation that plays a critical role in evolutionary biology for the study of Paleolithic technology. It is proposed that the concept of technological radiation might be a useful addition to the emphasis on lineages found in the work of Simondon, Leroi-Gourhan, and Boëda. The idea of a technological radiation is then applied to the later stages of the Lower Paleolithic of the southern Levant, particularly the coastal plain of Israel, and the transition to the Middle Paleolithic.