%0 Journal Article
%A Gallotti, Rosalia
%A Mohib, Abderrahim
%A Fernandes, Paul
%A El Graoui, Mohssine
%A Lefèvre, David
%A Raynal, Jean-Paul
%+ Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society
%T Dedicated core-on-anvil production of bladelet-like fakes in the Acheulean at Thomas Quarry I - L1 (Casablanca, Morocco) : 
%G eng
%U https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0006-F262-A
%R 10.1038/s41598-020-65903-3
%D 2020
%* Review method: peer-reviewed
%X The ability to produce large cutting tools (LCTs) is considered as the technological marker of the Acheulean and the indicator of a greater technological complexity compared to the previous Oldowan. Although Acheulean techno-complexes are also composed of a concurrent core-and-flake technology, the iconic handaxes have attracted more attention than any other lithic component. Consequently, little is known of the small and medium-sized flake productions (small flaking), especially starting from 1 Ma, when handaxe and cleaver manufacture becomes intensive and widespread across Africa, including the Atlantic coastal regions of Morocco. Research at Thomas Quarry I yielded a rich early Acheulean lithic assemblage, mainly composed of quartzite LCTs and small flaking, together with a small-sized flint production. Here, we report a particular aspect of this flint assemblage, i.e. a flint bladelet-like flake production. This process represents a discrete technical behaviour among those related to small flaking both in quartzite and flint: pebbles were flaked using the bipolar-on-anvil technique repeatedly employing a specific method to produce bladelet-like flakes. This production represents the oldest dated occurrence of bladelet-like technology in Africa and reveals technical competencies hitherto unknown for these periods, providing further elements for the techno-economic diversification of the African Acheulean.
%J Scientific Reports
%V 10
%] 9225
%@ 2045-2322