The onset of the Upper Paleolithic in the Central–Eastern Mediterranean: Reassessing the role of bipolar technology

Abstract

The onset of the Upper Paleolithic in the Central–Eastern Mediterranean is marked by the spread of Homo sapiens and the emergence of new technological systems, including projectile weaponry, microlithic technologies, and increasingly systematic bladelet production. Among the technocomplexes associated with this phenomenon, the Uluzzian and the Protoaurignacian represent key expressions of early Upper Paleolithic adaptations. While differing in their technological organization, both systems include bipolar reduction on an anvil, a defining feature of the Uluzzian and a largely underestimated component of Protoaurignacian lithic production. This dissertation investigates the role of bipolar reduction within Early Upper Paleolithic technological systems, examining whether it functioned as an expedient strategy or as a structured component of lithic production, and how it was integrated into broader reduction sequences and techno-economic behaviors. Drawing on archaeological and experimental data from three key sites—Klissoura Cave 1 and Apidima Cave C (Greece), and Grotta La Fabbrica (Italy)—the study provides a comparative assessment of bipolar technology across Mediterranean Europe. The results show that bipolar reduction constituted a flexible yet strategic component of lithic production and reveal significant technological continuities between the Uluzzian and the Protoaurignacian in the Mediterranean region. These findings contribute to a reassessment of bipolar technology at the onset of the Upper Paleolithic and challenge strictly discontinuous models of the Uluzzian–Protoaurignacian transition, supporting instead a scenario of partial continuity within broader processes of technological reorganization.

Die Dissertation ist gesperrt bis zum 16. Juni 2028 !