A land of flint and fallow-deer: human persistence at Middle Pleistocene Qesem Cave

Abstract

Our aim in this paper is to discuss the persistence of human occupation at Qesem Cave in the context of cultural and biological transformations that took shape in the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean) some 400ka years ago. We claim that the particular mode of adaptation practised by the cave inhabitants is significantly different than the one practised during Acheulean times in the Levant and include elements that had characterised human existence from that time onwards. We contend that the combination of specific circumstances during the late Lower Palaeolithic period in the Levant triggered human communities to make use of their extensive cultural and social capabilities as well as their profound familiarity with their environments to develop a new mode of adaptation. The use of fire for roasting meat, innovative lithic technologies, specific hunting, butchering and meat sharing practices as well as extensive recycling procedures, among others, were central elements in this new adaptation. The archaeological evidence from Qesem is consistent with this hypothesis. We start with a general short introduction to the Acheulo-Yabrudian Cultural Complex (AYCC) as reflected by the plethora of information gathered from the archaeological deposits of Qesem. Then we will focus on aspects relevant to human persistence at Qesem Cave and finally present our hypothesis regarding human persistence at Middle Pleistocene Qesem Cave.