The Persistence of Levallois in Paleoindian

[uniface]

That Mousterian technology was at the root of a lot of Paleoindian practice was noted long ago (like in Don Dragoo's Wells Crater Site report back in the fifties). It's no new insight, even though it comes with the force of one to people used to regarding it otherwise.

Attached are top and side views of a Levallois blade from a Paleo site in Texas kindly provided by Cluton. It's remarkable in being so thin ; otherwise, it's a poster child example of arranging previous removals to "set up" the removal of a blade-shaped flake.

[knife river]

Uniface, it could be a holdover from Levallois technology. Or it could be a successful attempt to remove a high spot caused by a few too-short flakes (I've done that hundreds, perhaps thousands of times over the last 20+ years). With only a single flake to go on, it's hard to parse out a knapper's intent sometimes, much less the technology of a culture. Having said that, given the lack of obvious use wear or retouch, I would tend to think it's a good flake that erased a high spot.

By the way, that looks like sweet material!

[uniface]

It may well be, KR. Admittedly, one piece doesn't prove anything.

FWIW, one of my favorite artifacts is a coast-to-coast flake from a platter that took off a stack that was defeating attempts to get it from both sides. I don't show stuff like that because people's eyes glaze over.

[joshuaream]

Uni,

I honestly don't see Levallois culture in that piece... It has some similar attributes, but it just doesn't look like what I've seen in collections in France.

It's a cool piece none-the-less.

Joshua

[knife river]

Originally Posted by uniface

FWIW, one of my favorite artifacts is a coast-to-coast flake from a platter that took off a stack that was defeating attempts to get it from both sides. I don't show stuff like that because people's eyes glaze over.

Please, glaze away! I'd like to see a pic!

[Cluton]

Uni I knew you would try to figure them out! That's cool! I'm glad you are interested in them!!

[uniface]

Sorry if I wasn't as clear as I tried to be.

It's not a typical Mousterian tool, of course. But it was made using that technology. While most of the removals are from fore and aft, the two flakes at the top edge in the first picture are from 45 (right) and 90 degrees (middle) to the main axis ; given its width, the 90 degree one had to have come from some ways away and traveled across a pretty substantial block (like the edge of the working face of a conical core where the furthest removal abuts a random-flaked back side).

Good eye on the stack, KR. And on the morphology, Joshua.

Pictures of the coast-to-coast de-stacking flake tomorrow if the cloud cover cooperates.

[uniface]

IOW, they sized up the problem, and used the old procedure to solve it. The intended outcome was maybe to extend the working face of a core as much as to produce another blade, but the outcome was the same either way.

It's a little more difficult envisioning this particular removal coming off a biface, but if KR can, then it could have.

[rokdok]

How about showing the ventral surface and platform shots.

[uniface]

Hi Rok

Heavily overcast here this morning -- couple this with rudimentary camera skills and you get No Picture.

Later, as opportunity allows. Tiny, smooth striking platform, minimal bulb/rippling.