Near Eastern - North African Acheulian Figurine Symbolizing Traditon / f)berkrm815

Comment: During the Later Acheulian period--referred to as 'Upper Acheulian' in the regional literature--the Near Eastern 'Ovate-Cordiform' stone tool tradition has ovates and cordiforms without cleavers in the Northern Levant; ovates and cordiforms with cleavers in the Southern Levant. The cleavers at southern sites may reflect influence from the African 'Ovate-Cordiform-Cleaver' stone tool tradition. The Ovate-Cordiform tradition appears to have replaced a Middle Acheulian tradition that emphasized lanceolates and picks. Tools from Berekhat Ram are shown below.

Bar-Yosef (1998: fig. 8.15): "Selected artefacts from Berekhat Ram including scrapers, a burin and bifaces. Source: Goren-Inbar 1985."

Source: Goren-Inbar, N. (1985). The lithic assemblage of the Berekhat Ram acheulian site, Golan Heights. Paléorient 11,1: 7-28. Image from Bar-Yosef, O. (1998). Early colonizations and cultural continuities in the Lower Palaeolithic of western Asia. In Early human behaviour in global context: The rise and diversity ofthe Lower Palaeolithic record, Petraglia, M and Korisettar, R. (eds.), 221-279. New York: Routledge. Figure 8.15.