Levallois Technique
Neanderthal craftsmen develop a technique for
making better flint tools
Dating
back around 250,000 years, the Levallois technique is the name given to a
method of knapping flint that was developed by Neanderthals and other proto-humans.
The name derives from the Levallois-Perret suburb of Paris, France, where tools
forged by this technique were discovered during archaeological the digs in the
nineteenth century.
The
Levallois technique is a more refined version of earlier forms of stone
knapping, which involved chipping pieces away from a prepared stone core. It
enabled the tool's creator to have much greater Control over the shape and size
of the final flake. The technique begins with selecting a pebble about the size
of a hand. A striking platform is then formed at one end of the stone, and the
edges are trimmed by chipping off pieces around the outline of the intended flake.
The base of the stone is then struck in order to produce its distinctive dorsal
ridge. When the striking platform is struck, the flake releases from the stone with
a characteristic plano-convex configuration and all of its edges sharpened by
the earlier chipping. The flake is then ready to use as a knife or as the point
of an edged projectile weapon.
Populations distributed over a vast geographical region, from Africa to
Northern Europe, employed the Levallois technique. It allowed the Neanderthals to
perfect their spear-making industry, which in turn aided in the hunting of
large animals. Being able to kill larger animals, and therefore feed more
individuals while spending less time hunting, aided in the while formation of
stable people groups, enabling greater sedentism. It also allowed for the
production of projectile points for early bow and arrow technology. The fact
that the Levallois technique was refined and perfected by the Neanderthals
gives the lie to the popular conception of them as crude and apelike brutes.
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