New Dimensions to the Epipalaeolithic of the Wadi el-Jilat in Central Jordan.

Abstract

Excavations undertaken at two multi-phase Epipalaeolithic sites in the Wadi el-Jilat (central Jordan) highlight regional diversity in both lithic assemblages and settlement patterns during the late Pleistocene of the southern Levant. New dates from Jilat 6 confirm that an assemblage dominated by geometric triangles was manufactured between 15,500 and 16,700 b.p. (contemporary with the Kebaran) and recent excavations at Jilat 22 have revealed a non-microlithic blade-focussed assemblage with a novel tool form dating to around 13,000 b.p. (contemporary with the geometric Kebaran). The article also addresses the geomorphological/behavioural processes lying behind the formation of extensive late Pleistocene sites in the present steppe/desert transition zone of Jordan.