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

Abstract

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.