Projectile damage and point morphometry at the Early Middle Paleolithic Misliya Cave, Mount Carmel (Israel): Preliminary results and interpretations

Abstract

This contribution presents analyses of projectile damage and morpho-metric characteristics of various point types from the Early Middle Paleolithic Misliya Cave, Mount Carmel, Israel. All the types present in the assemblage exhibit diagnostic impact fractures. Four types, i.e., Levallois points, Abu Sif points, Hummal points and the newly defined Misliya points appear to be the most frequently used as tips of hunting weapons. These four types differ in their morpho-metric characteristics, as well as in terms of the frequencies of diagnostic impact fractures. We suggest that the variability in points may reflect the use of different kinds of weapons, including composite projectiles – a possibility supported by the faunal evidence from Levantine MP sites and Misliya Cave, in particular. Whether the diversity in point types and sizes reflects use in different kinds of hunting weapons or variability within the same kind, the study can contribute significantly to our understanding of the technological and subsistence transformations associated with the emergence of the Middle Paleolithic in the Levant.