The lithic assemblages of Idan I and VII: New insights on the beginning of the Epipaleolithic in the Southern Levant

In this paper, we present a comprehensive techno-typological study of the lithic assemblages from two newly excavated sites in the Arava Valley (Israel), dated to ca. 24,000 years ago. The two assemblages feature comparable bladelet reduction sequences oriented to produce a variety of obliquely truncated backed bladelets made on straight, narrow blanks, with some typological variability detectable between them. The Idan occupations are contemporaneous with the Masraqan and Nebekian industries during the early part of the Early Epipaleolithic (EEP) that, following Garrard and Byrd (2013), we refer to here as Initial Epipaleolithic (IEP). We suggest that the Idan localities represent an IEP facies, stylistically more reminiscent of the Nebekian assemblages in the Transjordian highlands, but differing technologically in the absence of the microburin technique. We highlight the different developmental trajectories of backed microliths in different regions within the Southern Levant, illustrating the complex cultural dynamics at the beginning of the Epipaleolithic. We propose that these developmental trajectories are influenced by different population densities and adaptation strategies of forager groups in diverse environmental settings within the Levant.