Assigning meaning to lithic variability in the Epipaleolithic of the southern Levant

The accelerated pace of research in the southern Levant over the past 25 years has resulted in a spate of Epipaleolithic industries defined for the period between 19-10,000 BP. The cornerstone of these regionally defined industries has been the typological comparison of microliths which are believed to reflect, on some level, prehistoric ethnic groups. Although ethnicity probably existed in some form in the past, it appears that the Paleolithic record is too coarse-grained to monitor this behavior. Furthermore, ethnicity is problematic as an explanation of variability in that it does not address how foragers adapted to the local environment.;These same expectations were then applied to 16 assemblages from other regions in the southern Levant. Although the results varied, the initial factors are useful monitors of assemblage variation. Some of the patterning deviated from the previous characterizations of these sites suggesting that our perceptions of forager behavior need to be examined more closely. Even though the results from this study are encouraging regarding our capacity to monitor forager behavior, segregating these factors is particularly difficult since they are so intricately tied to one another.;With a skeptical view of identifying ethnicity in the Paleolithic record, this project focuses on variability from the perspective of forager responses to changing local conditions and situations. Three factors (raw material availability, mobility, and site use) were selected for investigation due to their potential to both affect forager behavior and leave tangible evidence of such behavior in the lithic remains. For each factor, expectations of pattern were generated regarding forager behavior and the associated lithic remains. These expectations were then tested using lithic materials from three levels of a multi-component site from west-central Jordan. The results indicate significantly different behaviors among the components with regard to raw material procurement, degree of mobility, and site use. This includes fluctuating levels of mobility over time as well as differences in the use and transport of raw material resulting in the stockpiling of material.