The Levallois Technique

During the more recent portion of the Acheulean, sometime shortly after 200,000 B.P. and the onset of the Riss glaciation but before 130.000 B.P., the Levallois technique was in­vented (Bordaz 1970:31; Bordes 1968:55-58; Champion et al. 1984:41-42) (Fig. 39). The ear­liest examples of this technique date to this time in several locations in Europe and Africa.

The Levallois technique is the basis for the succeed­ing Middle Paleolithic stage, beginning about 80,000 B.P. At this earlier time period, however, its distribution is scattered (Champion et al. 1984:41). Included among the earliest sites is Ehringsdorf (Germany), with an absolute date of 225,000 +/-26.000 B.P. (Gamble 1986:140, 146, 150). The essence of the Levallois technique is that the core from which the flake was removed had been specifically prepared to produce the flake shape desired (Bordaz 1970:31-32; Bordes 1988:26; Wymer 1982:116-117).

Prior to this, although there might have been a pattern to flake removal from a core (basically progressing around the circumference of the core/pebble, removing flakes), the core was not prepared in advance. The outline and the top of the Levallois core were flaked to give a variety of forms; pointed, rectangular, oval, and almost circular. A strik­ing platform was then prepared on the "side" of the core and the "top" was detached as the Levallois flake. The Levallois technique allowed the stone worker to predetermine the size and shape of the flake, and to form it to suit the tool being produced. This fact is an important point to re­member about the Levallois technique: the idea was to produce a flake of the correct size and shape for a tool as it was, with little or no fur­ther modification required. This aspect can be seen particularly well in the specific core and procedures used to obtain a flake for a Levallois point; subsequent to the production of the point flake, only minimal edge retouch to smooth the outline was undertaken (Bordes 1988:32-33; Wymer 1982:116).

One advantage of this technique, in addition to producing a pre-designed flake to fit the task, is that when the tool is produced without the necessity of modifying the flake to produce the final form, the tool has a fresh (produced in the detachment process), unmodified flake edge as its working edge. This edge is as sharp an edge as can be obtained with stone; retouching an edge can never achieve this sharpness again. Hence, in terms of cutting tools (whether as knives or projectile points), the Levallois technique pro­duced superior pieces.

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