Early Epipaleolithic lithics, time-averaging, and site interpretations: Wadi al-Hasa region, Western Highlands of Jordan

Abstract

The lithic assemblages from the Wadi al-Hasa region Early Epipaleolithic site occupations reveal long-term patterning as well as distinctions. These assemblages are records of time-averaged deposition of multiple activities in these persistent places in the landscape. In this paper we examine the characteristics of the lithic assemblages from the rockshelters at Tor Sageer, Yutil al-Hasa, and KPS-75, as well as the open-air context in front of the rockshelter at KPS-75 and the open-air site at Tor at-Tareeq. There are several cross-cutting variables that can be considered, including exterior versus interior spaces, temporal slices within the Early Epipaleolithic (e.g., Nebekian and Qalkhan), and the issues of time-averaging. A number of lithic measures often are used in these contexts to examine concepts such as the relative mobility of prehistoric hunter–gatherer–forager groups (e.g., blank-to-core ratios, lithic densities, and stone raw materials) and thus their settlement systems, although these measures can produce contradictory results. We argue instead that lithic assemblages (“occupations”) that are the result of accumulations in site layers must be assessed using the framework of time-averaging because such accumulations are not a record of an individual event but of long-term deposition and discard at locales in the landscape. The Hasa region Early Epipaleolithic site occupations are not unique in being such accumulations, as most researchers combine the lithics from layers to form analytical units. In this regard, consideration of time-averaging should be applied more broadly to Levantine site occupation lithic assemblages and their interpretation(s).