Culture and cognition in the Acheulian industry: A case study from Gesher Benot Yaáqov

Naama Goren-Inbar*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

92 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Acheulian presence in the Dead Sea Rift and its environs is characterized by the discontinuity of its cultural manifestations. Nevertheless, the long stratigraphic sequences of the Acheulian Technocomplex provide a unique opportunity for synergetic examination along a temporal trajectory. Hominin cognitive and cultural behaviour are studied at Gesher Benot Yaáqov through analyses of lithic, palaeontological and palaeobotanical assemblages, as well as the Early-Middle Pleistocene environment, ecology and climate. The study attempts to reconstruct reduction sequences of some major artefact groups at the site, which include raw material acquisition, production, technology, typology, usage and discard. Experimental archaeology illustrates artefact mobility on the palaeolandscape. Strategies of biomass-exploitation are studied in detail, with other aspects yielding additional information on hominin subsistence and adaptive responses to their environment. The cultural marker of fire and the spatial association of selected categories of finds are integrated in the general synthesis, allowing reconstruction of the cultural and cognitive realm of Acheulian hominins. The synthesis attempts to reassess the abilities, social structure, subsistence and adaptability to the changing environment of hominins in the Levantine Corridor.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1038-1049
Number of pages12
JournalPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Volume366
Issue number1567
DOIs
StatePublished - 12 Apr 2011

Keywords

  • Acheulian
  • Bifaces (handaxes and cleavers)
  • Cognitive abilities
  • Gesher Benot Yaáqov
  • Irian Jaya
  • Upper Jordan Valley

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Culture and cognition in the Acheulian industry: A case study from Gesher Benot Yaáqov'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this