Abstract
We present here the results of a U-Th dating project at Qesem Cave, a Middle Pleistocene, late Lower Paleolithic site in Israel. It provides 54 new MC-ICP-MS U-Th ages for speleothems from the cave. The results indicate that human occupation started sometime between ∼420 and 320 ka and ended between 220 and 194 ka. A survey of dates from culturally similar sites in the Levant indicates that the general range of ca. 400-ca. 200 ka is an appropriate estimate for the life span of the Acheulo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex (AYCC).
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 644-656 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Quaternary Geochronology |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2010 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The U-series dating project was supported by a grant of the Wenner Gren Foundation . Field work at Qesem Cave and laboratory work were supported by grants of the Israel Science Foundation , CARE archaeological foundation , Leakey Foundation and the Thyssen Foundation .
Keywords
- Acheulo-Yabrudian complex
- Israel
- Lower Paleolithic
- Qesem Cave
- U-series dating