Ricerc@Sapienza

Recent technological studies of Levantine and European lithic assemblages from the Late
Lower Palaeolithic show that the small unretouched and retouched flakes (small tools)
found in many sites of this period are relevant technological elements. Their presence
in the lithic assemblages of the Late Lower Palaeolithic allows us to reconsider the role
of bifacial tools as techno-cultural markers of this chronological phase. In this article we
discuss the relevance of experimental archaeology for the interpretation of the use-wear

Recent technological studies of lithic assemblages from Levantine and European Late Lower Palaeolithic showed that the small size flakes (small tools) found in many sites of this period are relevant technological elements. Their role in the lithic assemblages of the Late Lower Paleolithic allows to reconsider the common idea that the bifaces are the unique techno-cultural markers of the Acheulean chronological and cultural phase.