The oldest phases of the Levallois method and the beginnings of the Middle Palaeolithic at the northern foreland of the Carpathians

Abstract

The aim of the article is to analyse the problem of the beginnings of the Levallois method at the northern foreland of the Carpathians, referring to the oldest cultural levels (layers 19bcd, 19a and 19) at the Biśnik Cave and several other sites. A proto-Levallois method has been distinguished, which evolved into the method of recurrent type with centripetal preparation and parallel, bidirectional and unidirectional core reduction. The process began during MIS 10/9, was developed in MIS 8 and disseminated in MIS 7. Simultaneously, a method of a polyhedral core for flakes with no preparation was used, as well as the microlithic-flake method.As a result of the absence of bifacial forms in the assemblages in question, which would be identifiable with the Acheulean tradition, and a considerable number of microlithic forms, a hypothesis was made that the technology of the Lower Palaeolithic flake microlith had a significant impact on the development of the local Mousterian tradition with the dominant Levallois method.