Zheyang Chen; William Davies
Abstract
This study adopts a data-driven framework to investigate regional variation in Levallois core technology, aiming to assess the stability of flaking techniques and the diversity of technological ...
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This study adopts a data-driven framework to investigate regional variation in Levallois core technology, aiming to assess the stability of flaking techniques and the diversity of technological exchange across Russia, Mongolia, and northern China. Guided by Boëda’s comprehensive typology, cores are first classified into preferential, centripetal, bipolar, and unipolar types, then quantitatively analysed through two-dimensional lithic-image analysis. In Mongolia, preferential and centripetal Levallois sequences are mature and stable: scar-density indices at all sampled sites exceed 60%, and coefficients of variation remain low, demonstrating highly standardised reduction concepts. In contrast, Russian assemblages exhibit pronounced inter-site heterogeneity; centripetal cores from Anui-1 are remarkably consistent, whereas contemporaneous layers at Kara-Bom display wide metrical dispersion. At Shuidonggou in China, the overall technological level is slightly lower, yet Layers 7 and 6 clearly inherit technical traits from underlying Layer 8, implying in-situ continuity rather than abrupt replacement. At Tongtian Cave in western China, cores show markedly lower scar coverage and smaller detached-flake areas, indicating a lower degree of technical mastery than at the more centrally located Shuidonggou site. Russian bipolar Levallois shows limited affinity with Chinese counterparts, whereas centripetal cores from Kara-Tenesh cluster tightly with Shuidonggou Layer 7. Crucially, within single Chinese sites different stratigraphic layers alternately align with Mongolian or Russian traditions, evidencing repeated episodes of introduction, assimilation, and re-innovation. In sum, Levallois technology entered China not through a single corridor but via multiple temporally staggered pathways. Chinese Levallois origins are polygenic, and several dispersal routes likely operated across northern Eurasia. Rather than a unidirectional corridor, the region functioned as a reticulated, continuously interacting technological landscape.
