Early Blade Production in the Levantine Late Acheulian: Implications for the Origins of Blade Technology

This study presents the laminar technology from Late Acheulian contexts (ca. 500–300 ka) at Jaljulia, Israel. The lithic assemblages include laminar cores, core trimming elements, and laminar end-products, representing the only known evidence, to date, of blade technology within a sequence of typical handaxe-bearing Acheulian horizons. Although the majority of analyzed blades do not exhibit evident traces of regularity, serial blade production is indicated by some attributes resembling the principles of the succeeding Acheulo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex (AYCC) Amudian standards. Notably, the earliest Jaljulia localities predate the AYCC by ~100 ka, suggesting a possible Acheulian origin for late Lower Paleolithic laminar production in the Levant. The onset of blade production at Jaljulia coincides chronologically with the earliest known blade industries across Africa, appearing in isolated instances prior to the broader dissemination of Middle Pleistocene laminar technologies. Distinct blade technologies appear to have emerged independently across various Middle Pleistocene contexts, predating the appearance of Homo sapiens and reflecting innovations rooted in earlier phases of human cultural and biological evolution. This evidence parallels the independent emergence of other technological systems, such as the Levallois method and Quina retouch, indicating that convergent cultural evolution in light-duty technologies operated as early as the Lower Paleolithic.