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- Examining the distribution of middle paleolithic nubian cores relative to chert quality in southern (Nejd, Dhofar) and south‐central (Duqm, Al Wusta) OmanPublication . Eren, Metin I.; Bebber, Michelle R.; Singer, David; Pearson, Chloe; Ortiz, Joseph D.; Buchanan, Briggs; Beshkani, Amir; Chlachula, Dominik; Dellmour, Rudolf; Garba, Roman; Marks, Anthony E.; Usyk, Vitaly; Rose, Jeffrey IanLithic raw material properties are often invoked to explain the presence, absence, form, or ontogeny of Paleolithic stone tools. Here, we explore whether the frequency of the Middle Paleolithic Nubian core form and core-reduction systems co-varies with toolstone quality in two neighboring regions in Oman: the southern region of Nejd, Dhofar, and the south-central region of Duqm, Al Wusta. Specifically, we predicted that if raw material differences were influencing the distribution of Nubian cores, the chert would be of higher quality in the southern region, where Nubian cores were frequent, and of lower quality in the south-central region, where they were scarce. We tested this prediction by collecting 124 chert samples from 22 outcrops and then quantitatively assessed two geochemical variables that are widely thought to influence knapping: impurity amount and silica content. We also examined the mineralogical composition, and the crystallite size and lattice strain for quartz (crystalline alpha-SiO2) of representative chert samples. Our results suggest that the cherts in the two regions are similar, which is not consistent with the hypothesis that lithic raw material quality contributed to Nubian core spatial distribution in Oman. We discuss potential alternative hypotheses to explain Nubian core geographic patterning, and provisionally suggest that the scarcity of Nubian cores in south-central Oman may be due to a concomitant scarcity of toolmakers, given a lack of water availability.
- Anthony E. Marks (1938–2025): pioneer of the palaeolithicPublication . Rose, Jeffrey Ian; Bicho, Nuno; Usyk, Vitaly I.; Winchell, FrankAnthony “Tony” Edward Marks passed away on August 15, 2025, at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the age of 87. Tony’s passing marks the end of a remarkable career in archaeology that spanned nine countries, four continents, and a quarter million years of prehistory. Not only did he fundamentally shape how we understand the Palaeolithic record, but he transformed our very perception of lithic technology, teaching us how to find the profound depth of meaning in stone. A proud New Yorker, Tony was born, raised, and edu¬cated in Manhattan. As a young student at Columbia Uni¬versity eager to pursue his love of European medieval art and churches, he was promptly taken aside by the anthropol¬ogy department head, Marvin Harris, who (rather forcefully as Tony would recall) urged him to stick with archaeology. Tony’s professional career began with the UNESCO Nubian salvage campaigns of the 1960s. As Lake Nasser rose behind the Aswan High Dam, Tony mapped prehistoric sites along the east bank of the Nile before their inundation. During the Nubian salvage project, he documented several key Palaeo¬lithic industries, including an array of assemblages defined by the presence of Nubian core technology. He could never know at the time how that discovery would unexpectedly resurface decades later, at the end of his career.
- Mapping lateral stratigraphy at Palaeolithic surface sites: a case study from Dhofar, OmanPublication . Rose, Jeffrey Ian; Hilbert, Yamandú H.; Usyk, Vitaly I.; Bebber, Michelle R.; Beshkani, Amir; Buchanan, Briggs; Cascalheira, João; Chlachula, Dominik; Dellmour, Rudolf; Eren, Metin I.; Garba, Roman; Hallinan, Emily; Li, Li; Walker, Robert S.; Marks, Anthony E.Open-air accumulations of chipped stone debris are a common feature in arid landscapes, yet despite their prevalence, such archives are often dismissed as uninformative or unreliable. In the canyonlands of Dhofar, southern Oman, lithic surface scatters are nearly ubiquitous, including extensive, multi-component workshops associated with chert outcrops. These sites typically display chronologically diagnostic features that correspond to distinct taphonomic states, which in turn appear linked to spatial distribution, with more heavily weathered artifacts often found farther from the chert outcrops. We propose that post-depositional modifications and spatial distributions of chipped stone artifacts reflect site formation processes and, under certain conditions, may provide relative chronological information when absolute dating methods are unavailable. Our study tests this hypothesis by mapping artifact distribution and lithic taphonomy across a series of surface sites in southern Oman, spanning the Lower, Middle, and Upper/Late Palaeolithic periods. The results largely support our model, offering valuable insights into surface site formation and technological change over time. While these findings serve as broad predictive markers for age, their applicability for analyzing finer-scale assemblage variability remains to be determined. Future taphonomic recording systems should aim to quantify surface modifications to enhance replicability for such studies.
- What can lithics tell us about hominin technology's ‘primordial soup’? an origin of stone knapping via the emulation of mother naturePublication . Eren, Metin I.; Lycett, Stephen J.; Bebber, Michelle R.; Key, Alastair; Buchanan, Briggs; Finestone, Emma; Benson, Joseph; Gürbüz, Rebecca Biermann; Cebeiro, Adela; Garba, Roman; Grunow, Anne; Lovejoy, C. Owen; MacDonald, Danielle; Maletic, Erica; Miller, G. Logan; Ortiz, Joseph D.; Paige, Jonathan; Pargeter, Justin; Proffitt, Tomos; Raghanti, Mary Ann; Riley, Teal; Rose, Jeffrey Ian; Singer, David M.; Walker, Robert S.The use of stone hammers to produce sharp stone flakes—knapping—is thought to represent a significant stage in hominin technological evolution because it facilitated the exploitation of novel resources, including meat obtained from medium-to-large-sized vertebrates. The invention of knapping may have occurred via an additive (i.e., cumulative) process that combined several innovative stages. Here, we propose that one of these stages was the hominin use of ‘naturaliths,’ which we define as naturally produced sharp stone fragments that could be used as cutting tools. Based on a review of the literature and our own research, we first suggest that the ‘typical’ view, namely that sharp-edged stones are seldom produced by nonprimate processes, is likely incorrect. Instead, naturaliths can be, and are being, endlessly produced in a wide range of settings and thus may occur on the landscape in far greater numbers than archaeologists currently understand or acknowledge. We then explore the potential role this ‘naturalith prevalence’ may have played in the origin of hominin stone knapping. Our hypothesis suggests that the origin of knapping was not a ‘Eureka!’ moment whereby hominins first made a sharp flake by intention or by accident and then sought something to cut, but instead was an emulative process by hominins aiming to reproduce the sharp tools furnished by mother nature and already in demand. We conclude with a discussion of several corollaries our proposal prompts, and several avenues of future research that can support or question our proposal.