Mass production of stone bladelets shows cultural shift in Paleolithic Levant

The stone tools attributed to the Ahmarian, the first Upper Paleolithic culture of the Near East, were mass-produced on site. Archaeologists have suggested that the bow and arrow introduction is related to a standardized production.

The el-Wad point, a blade or bladelet made of flint, is the most common Ahmarian tool. They are a variant of the spear or arrow tips. El-Wad points in Al-Ansab are thought to be the result of attempts to re-shape bigger, asymmetrical bladelet artifacts to meet quality standards.

The main result of the analysis was done by Dr. Jacopo Gennai. The authors suggest that the southern Ahmarian had completed the technological and cultural shift to the preferred use of small bladelets. "Pointing to the Ahmarian" The ElWad Points of AlAnsab have been published in a journal.

The site of Al-Ansab 1, located 10 kilometers south of Petra in Jordan, has been excavated by a team from the University of Cologne. One of the best-preserved pieces of evidence of the Ahmarian technocomplex can be found at the site.

Jacopo Gennai, the lead author, re-analyzed a portion of the excavated material in order to understand how the production methods of bladelets were similar to those of the early Upper Paleolithic. The el-Wad point was analyzed by a student member of the team.

The Upper Paleolithic is considered to be the cultural marker of our species' push into Eurasia. Small, slender and highly standardized bladelets are believed to be what is left of arrows or spears used to catch ungulates. The start of long range hunting is a departure from previous practices.

The small bladelets were central to the success of Homo sapiens during the Upper Paleolithic period. This flexible technology made it possible for groups to cover large distances in unknown territories without relying on good quality raw material.

The role of bladelets was not well established within the Ahmarian. Dr. Gennai hopes the new results will change our understanding of the earliest Upper Paleolithic industry of the Levant and push for new research to find the origins of this behavior.

Jacopo Gennai and his team point to the Ahmarian. The El-Wad Points of Al-Ansab are the subject of a journal.