The chronology of the late Lower Paleolithic in the Levant based on U-Th ages of speleothems from Qesem Cave, Israel

A. Gopher, A. Ayalon, M. Bar-Matthews, R. Barkai, A. Frumkin, P. Karkanas, R. Shahack-Gross

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115 Scopus citations

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 languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)644-656
Number of pages13
JournalQuaternary Geochronology
Volume5
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 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

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