Reassessing Craft in the Late Acheulean: Technological Insights from Jaljulia Handaxes (Levant)

Abstract Recent research on the Lower Paleolithic of the Levant has re-evaluated technical trends defined for the Acheulean techno-complex during the 1970s, trends built upon typological analysis of handaxe assemblages. To this end, new methods are being applied to old and new collections in order to assess handaxe morphological and technological variation over time, opening a discussion about the technical skills of Acheulean knappers, also referred to as “craftmanship” (hereafter referred to as “craft”). In this context, morphometric studies conducted at the Late Acheulean site of Jaljulia have highlighted the crudeness and high morphological variability of the bifacial assemblage, challenging the 1970s idea of handaxe increasing refinement over time. Interestingly, the authors do not attribute this variability to a lack of knapping skill—as irregular and non-standardized productions are traditionally interpreted—but to an expedient chaîne opératoire of tool production. Produced predominantly in brecciated flint, collected and modified on the spot, the sample studied is interpreted by the authors as tools mostly adapted for bone-crushing purposes. This paper aims to offer a new perspective on this assemblage by conducting a critical technological analysis of the handaxes from the oldest locality on-site, Area D, taking into account raw material constraints as well as the site’s function as a handaxe production workshop, among other activities conducted at this Paleolithic landscape. Our results suggest the presence of pieces discarded during the production process, which contributes to the increased morphological variability observed in the assemblage. Our analysis discusses the expedient character of Jaljulia’s handaxe reduction sequence and points to the production of three distinct techno-types, potentially associated to a wider variety of tasks. To conclude, we discuss our results in the context of the Late Acheulean of the Levant, within the broader framework of technological trends and associated technical skills in the late Acheulean.