SESSION 3 – Stone tool production and processing techniques
A fresh look at the Boker Tachtit lithic assemblages following renewed excavations

The focus of this study is on the latter aim. The chaîne opératoire approach, combined with an attribute analysis and refitting, is used to relate the newly excavated assemblages with the ones from the old excavation. Using this method, differences between the archaeological units at the site are highlighted and a regional comparative study is carried out in search of possible antecedents. Initial results suggest that the sequence at Boker Tachtit represents one of the earliest Upper Palaeolithic traditions. Other sites within a similar geographical and chronological context, such as Taramsa 1 in the Nile Valley and Tor Sadaf in Jordan, reflect a similar, although not identical, shift from a blade technology with Levallois elements to a true blade technology. Each of these assemblages reflects the same conceptual technological change while retaining unique techno-typological traits indicating a fusion of indigenous and exogenous lithic traditions. A special focus in this study is put on raw material exploitation and management in order to clarify the mode of occupation and land use patterns. By using lithic technology to infer human behavior this study offers a plausible interpretation for the role of Boker Tachtit in the dispersal of human groups across the landscape.