Continuity and innovation in the Late Acheulian: Technological and functional analysis of scrapers from Jaljulia, Southern Levant (500–300 ka)

Lower Paleolithic human adaptations were facilitated by the Acheulian stone toolkit, composed of various implements. Flake scrapers, a ubiquitous component of Acheulian toolkits, have received comparatively little scholarly attention despite their widespread presence and long temporal span. This paper presents a technotypological and functional analysis of Late Acheulian scrapers from the Late Lower Paleolithic localities of Jaljulia, Israel, dated to 500-200 ka. Traditional Acheulian scraper production at the site was supplemented by a limited number of uncharacteristic large flake scrapers, a trajectory that subsequently diminished, as well as by recurrent scrapers shaped by stepped and scaled-stepped Quina-like retouch. Our observations indicate that scrapers with distinct working edge attributes were predominantly used for both scraping and cutting activities. The emergence of Quina-like retouch within a Late Acheulian context marks a significant development in the evolution of Paleolithic scrapers. Late Acheulian toolmakers produced Quina-like scrapers alongside other scraper types, preceding and coinciding with the broad adoption of the Quina method in the subsequent Acheulo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex. Our results challenge the notion of Acheulian technological stagnation, highlighting the capability of Homo erectus to implement innovations into predominantly traditional toolkits. We propose a possible Acheulian origin for other technologies and cultural markers considered post-Acheulian as well.