ABSTRACT

Blade technology, long associated solely with the Upper Paleolithic (UP) as an indicator of modern behavior, appears as early as the Middle Pleistocene and is present during the Middle Paleolithic (MP) and the Middle Stone Age (MSA). The nature behind the appearance of early laminar assemblages remains poorly understood. Yet current excavations at Sibudu Cave (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) have yielded MIS 5 lithic assemblages that contribute to the understanding of the diversity of blade technologies during the MSA. Following the chaîne opératoire approach, we explain how the knappers at Sibudu developed a laminar reduction strategy characterized by unidirectional cores with a lateral crest opposite a flat surface. The core configuration facilitated the production of blades with different intended morphological characteristics. Our results highlight the distinctiveness of the laminar reduction system of the D-A layers and foster the discussion on the role of this technological choice within the Southern African MSA.

摘要

刀片技术长期以来仅与上旧石器时代（UP）相关联，作为现代行为的指示器，最早出现在中更新世，并且出现在中旧石器时代（MP）和中石器时代（MSA）。早期层流组件出现的本质仍然知之甚少。然而，目前在Sibudu Cave（南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省）进行的挖掘工作已产生MIS 5石块组合，有助于了解MSA期间刀片技术的多样性。跟随歌剧歌剧的方法，我们解释了西布杜的敲击者如何制定层流减少策略，其特征是具有与平坦表面相对的横向波峰的单向岩心。核心配置有利于生产具有不同预期形态特征的叶片。我们的结果突出了DA层的层流缩减系统的独特性，并促进了对该技术选择在南部非洲MSA中的作用的讨论。