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- No direct evidence for the presence of Nubian Levallois technology and its association with Neanderthals at Shukbah CavePublication . Hallinan, Emily; Barzilai, Omry; Bicho, Nuno; Cascalheira, João; Demidenko, Yuri; Goder-Goldberger, Mae; Hovers, Erella; Marks, Anthony; Oron, Maya; Rose, JeffreyBlinkhorn et al.present a reanalysis of fossil and lithic material from Garrod’s 1928 excavation at Shukbah Cave, identifying the presence of Nubian Levallois cores and points in direct association with a Neanderthal molar. Te authors argue that this demonstrates the Nubian reduction strategy forms a part of the wider Middle Palaeolithic lithic repertoire, therefore its role as a cultural marker for Homo sapiens population movements is invalid. We raise the following four major concerns: (1) we question the assumptions made by the authors about the integrity and homogeneity of the Layer D assemblage and (2) the implications of this for the association of the Neanderthal tooth with any specifc component of the assemblage, (3) we challenge the authors’ attribution of lithic material to Nubian Levallois technology according to its strict defnition, and (4) we argue that the comparative data presented derive from a biased sample of sites. Tese points critically undermine the article’s conclusion that Shukbah’s Neanderthals made Nubian cores and thus the argument that Neanderthals might have made Nubian technology elsewhere is unsubstantiated.
- The nature of Nubian: developing current global perspectives on Nubian Levallois technology and the Nubian complexPublication . Hallinan, Emily; Barzilai, Omry; Beshkani, Amir; Cascalheira, João; Demidenko, Yuri E.; Goder‐Goldberger, Mae; Hilbert, Yamandú H.; Hovers, Erella; Marks, Anthony E.; Nymark, Andreas; Olszewski, Deborah I.; Oron, Maya; Rose, Jeffrey I.; Shaw, Matthew; Usik, Vitaly I.Nubian Levallois technology has recently risen to the forefront ofdebates surrounding Late Pleistocene human technological behavior,cultural traditions, and demographic histories. Named after the regionwhere it was first identified, Nubian Levallois describes a specificmethod of lithic point production that occurs in Middle Palaeolithic (or Middle Stone Age) assemblages across arid North Africa, the Levant and Arabia.1–9However, the recent identification of Nubian technology in separate, disconnected regions, such as SouthAfrica10–12and possibly India13,14suggests there are more diversescenarios of its emergence and spread than the original model of abroad Nubian technocomplex related to a single, expandingpopulation from its north‐east African heartland.3While fewassemblages containing Nubian technology are directly dated, itsproposed MIS 5 timing coincides with early modern human dispersalsout of Africa, adding a further dimension of whether certain lithictechnologies can be linked to specific geographic populations.
- Quantifying levallois: a 3D geometric morphometric approach to nubian technologyPublication . Hallinan, Emily; Cascalheira, JoãoLevallois technology, a hallmark of Middle Palaeolithic stone tool manufacture, involves sophisticated core reduction strategies that have major implications for understanding human cognitive and technological evolution. However, traditional methods of analysing Levallois cores often fail to capture the nuanced variability in their morphology. This study introduces a novel application of three-dimensional geometric morphometrics (GM) to quantify the shape variability of Nubian Levallois cores from the Nile Valley and Dhofar regions. By employing this technique, we analysed core surfaces and preferential scar shapes, identifying distinct regional and technological patterns. Our results reveal significant inter-regional differences in core elongation and surface convexity, highlighting the importance of shape-oriented, rather than metric-based, analysis of prepared cores. This new GM approach offers a robust and replicable tool for investigating lithic variability and holds potential for broader applications in Palaeolithic research, enhancing our understanding of human technological adaptations.