Middle Palaeolithic point technology, with a focus on the site of Tor Faraj (Jordan, MIS 3)

摘要

The manufacture of small and standardised lithic points has been emphasised in debates on modern human origins. Points, produced by striking specifically shaped core surfaces (debitage) and/or by retouching flakes, are iconic artefacts of the Middle Palaeolithic. The study of point variation brings together many themes, including debates on function, on the technology of lithic reduction, standardisation and even on putatively 'symbolic' aspects. This paper considers in detail the character of point morphology and production at the ～60-50 ka site of Tor Faraj, Jordan. It does so both to consider point technology at this well preserved and excavated southwest Asian site, which has been suggested to represent one of the most southern limits of Neanderthal dispersal, but also as a case study with which to consider wider themes of point variability in time and space. Much recent discussion has focussed on dichotomising precocious points made by 'modern' humans, perhaps leading to their global dispersal, in contrast to purportedly inferior analogues made by 'archaic' hominins. This dichotomy is frequently seen in terms of a distinction between projectile and thrusting technology, on the assumption that the normative function of points was as weapon tips, and that there is a clear link between size and function. Many Late Middle Palaeolithic assemblages in the Levant, which are exclusively associated with Neanderthal fossils, reflect an emphasis on the production of points by debitage methods. Here, the standardised nature of point production at Tor Faraj is described. Further insights into point technology require the development of technological and quantitative, rather than typological, analyses and the transcendence of simplistic interpretative dichotomies.