Abstract
This paper reviews the numerical dates available for the late Lower Paleolithic and early Middle Paleolithic in the Levant. We also present here new electron spin resonance dates for the late Lower Paleolithic sites of Holon, Yabrud I and Oumm Qatafa. Irrespective of dating techniques used, the ages of these sites converge on oxygen isotope stage 7 at roughly 215 ± 30 ka. Similarly, dates for early Middle Paleolithic sites in the region, with the exception of Tabun, fall within oxygen isotope stage 7, suggesting a relatively rapid transition from Lower to Middle Paleolithic. In the light of these findings, the "early chronology" for the region, based on the TL dates on burned flint from Tabun, is discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 107-122 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Journal of Human Evolution |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2002 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
Parts of this research were supported by The Halbert Fund of the University of Toronto (MC); Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (MC); Wiezmann Institute Fund for Collaboration between Archaeology and the Sciences (NP & LKH). We thank two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Halbert Fund of the University of Toronto | |
| Wiezmann Institute Fund for Collaboration between Archaeology and the Sciences | |
| Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada |
Keywords
- Holon
- Israel
- Levant
- Lower Paleolithic
- Middle Paleolithic
- Oumm Qatafa
- Tabun
- Yabrud