Establishing regional sequences

This paper presents an analysis of the lithic artifacts of the Upper Paleolithic (UP) cultural sequence of Baaz Rockshelter in the Qalamun region of southwestern Syria. The site was discovered during a regional survey in Damascus Province conducted by a multidisciplinary team from the University of Tübingen and excavated between 1999 and 2004. We compare the UP of Baaz to the nearby site of Yabroud II. The archaeological record of the Qalamun region supports a discontinuity between the Middle Paleolithic (MP) and Early UP. The first phase of the Qalamunian UP is characterized by lithic assemblages with an emphasis on bidirectional reduction and the production of blades, as represented by layers KS 7 and 6 at Yabroud II, but not at Baaz. In contrast, the second phase of the Qalamunian UP is characterized by an emphasis on unidirectional reduction and the production of bladelets as seen in Baaz layers AH VII to IV and Yabroud II KS 5 to 1. We hypothesize that the Qalamunian UP record points to an early replacement of blade technologies with an increased emphasis on the production of bladelets around 38,000 cal BP. The orientation towards bladelet production as well as the related technological characteristics remains almost unchanged in the later UP phases for about 15,000 years (Baaz AHs V to IV, Yabroud II KS 4 to 1). Comparisons with other Levantine UP sites suggest that the Qalamunian UP sequence reflects a broader geographical phenomenon with regard to the occurrence of bladelet oriented technologies. Finally, we conclude that the Qalamunian UP record cannot easily be explained by the two-tradition model, which questions the pan-Levantine validity of the two-tradition model.