Levallois Core

A core is a stone from which flakes have been detached so that the flakes can be made into tools. This one was made with a special technique called Levallois core preparation that was widely used during the Middle Paleolithic Period. The Middle Paleolithic saw the rise of more complex stone tool technologies and more variability in tool types compared to the Lower Paleolithic. This change is associated with the increasing complexity of Hominin behavior —such as specialized hunting, pyrotechnology, and the use of symbols— eventually resulting in anatomically and behaviorally modern humans. Levallois cores were made by removing flakes in a specific way, such as centripetally around an edge, so that the last flakes detached have a predetermined shape. This example is a ‘Nubian A’ type of Levallois core where preparation flakes were removed from the distal (pointed) end in order to create a central ridge that will produce a pointed flake.