The distinctive forms of the flakes were originally thought to indicate a wide-ranging Levallois culture resulting from the expansion of archaic Homo sapiens out of Africa. However, the wide geographical and temporal spread of the technique has rendered this interpretation obsolete.
There is disagreement when it comes to defining Levallois technology. Archeologists question which attributes and dimensions are specifically associated with Levallois, and argue that there are other techniques with similar cosmetic and functional aspects. Due to these disagreements, there is now a more precise set of criteria that outlines Levallois technology from a geometric standpoint. These criteria are:
Shipton, C. (2022). Predetermined Refinement: The Earliest Levallois of the Kapthurin Formation. *Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology*, 5, 4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-021-00109-1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-021-00109-1
Higham, Tom (2021). The World Before Us: How Science is Revealing a New Story of Our Human Origins. Penguin Viking. pp. 35–36. ISBN 978-0-241-44067-4. 978-0-241-44067-4
Foley, Robert; Lahr, Marta Mirazón (1997). "Mode 3 technologies and the evolution of modern humans". Cambridge Archaeological Journal. 7 (1): 3–36. doi:10.1017/s0959774300001451. S2CID 163040120. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Lycett, S.J.; von Cramon-Taubadel, N. (2013). "A 3D morphometric analysis of surface geometry in Levallois cores: patterns of stability and variability across regions and their implications". Journal of Archaeological Science. 40 (3): 1508–1517. Bibcode:2013JArSc..40.1508L. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2012.11.005. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
Ohnuma, Katsuhiko; Aoki, Kenichi; Akazawa, And Takeru (1997). "Transmission of Tool-making Through Verbal and Non-verbal Communication: Preliminary Experiments in Levallois Flake Production". Anthropological Science. 105 (3): 159–168. doi:10.1537/ase.105.159. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ase1993/105/3/105_3_159/_article
Adler, D. S.; et al. (2014). "Early Levallois technology and the Lower to Middle Paleolithic transition in the Southern Caucasus". Science. 345 (6204): 1609–1613. Bibcode:2014Sci...345.1609A. doi:10.1126/science.1256484. PMID 25258079. S2CID 10266660. https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1256484
Lycett, S.J.; von Cramon-Taubadel, N. (2013). "A 3D morphometric analysis of surface geometry in Levallois cores: patterns of stability and variability across regions and their implications". Journal of Archaeological Science. 40 (3): 1508–1517. Bibcode:2013JArSc..40.1508L. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2012.11.005. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
Lycett, S.J.; M.I., Eren (2013). "Levallois economics: and examination of 'waste' production in experimental produced Levallois reduction sequences". Journal of Archaeological Science. 40 (5): 2384–2392. Bibcode:2013JArSc..40.2384L. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2013.01.016. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
Eren, M.I.; Lycett, S.J. (2012). "Why Levallois? A Morphometric Comparison of Experimental 'Preferential' Levallois Flakes versus Debitage Flakes". PLOS ONE. 7 (1): 29273. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...729273E. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029273. PMC 3264556. PMID 22291888. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3264556
Lycett, S.J.; M.I., Eren (2013). "Levallois economics: and examination of 'waste' production in experimental produced Levallois reduction sequences". Journal of Archaeological Science. 40 (5): 2384–2392. Bibcode:2013JArSc..40.2384L. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2013.01.016. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
Brantingham, P. Jeffrey; Kuhn, Steven L. (2001). "Constraints on Levallois Core Technology: A Mathematical Model". Journal of Archaeological Science. 28 (7): 749. Bibcode:2001JArSc..28..747B. doi:10.1006/jasc.2000.0594. S2CID 2080208. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
Brantingham, P. Jeffrey; Kuhn, Steven L. (2001). "Constraints on Levallois Core Technology: A Mathematical Model". Journal of Archaeological Science. 28 (7): 749. Bibcode:2001JArSc..28..747B. doi:10.1006/jasc.2000.0594. S2CID 2080208. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
Shipton, C. (2022). Predetermined Refinement: The Earliest Levallois of the Kapthurin Formation. *Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology*, 5, 4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-021-00109-1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-021-00109-1
Tryon, Christian A.; McBrearty, Sally; Texier, Pierre-Jean (December 2005). "Levallois Lithic Technology from the Kapthurin Formation, Kenya: Acheulian Origin and Middle Stone Age Diversity". African Archaeological Review. 22 (4): 199–229. doi:10.1007/s10437-006-9002-5. S2CID 12169201. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Callaway, Ewen (2017). "Oldest Homo sapiens fossil claim rewrites our species' history". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2017.22114. https://www.nature.com/news/oldest-homo-sapiens-fossil-claim-rewrites-our-species-history-1.22114
Sample, Ian (2017-06-07). "Oldest Homo sapiens bones ever found shake foundations of the human story". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jun/07/oldest-homo-sapiens-bones-ever-found-shake-foundations-of-the-human-story
Langer, William L., ed. (1972). An Encyclopedia of World History (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. pp. 9. ISBN 978-0-395-13592-1. 978-0-395-13592-1
Langer, William L., ed. (1972). An Encyclopedia of World History (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. pp. 9. ISBN 978-0-395-13592-1. 978-0-395-13592-1
Akhilesh, Kumar; Pappu, Shanti; Rajapara, Haresh M.; Gunnell, Yanni; Shukla, Anil D.; Singhvi, Ashok K. (2018). "Early Middle Palaeolithic culture in India around 385–172 ka reframes Out of Africa models". Nature. 554 (7690): 97–101. Bibcode:2018Natur.554...97A. doi:10.1038/nature25444. PMID 29388951. S2CID 4447452. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
Dibble, H.L. (1984) The Mousterian Industry from Bisitun Cave (Iran). Paléorient 10(2):23–34.
Dibble, H.L., & S.J. Holdaway (1993). The Middle Paleolithic Industries of Warwasi. In The Paleolithic Prehistory of the Zagros-Taurus, edited by D.I. Olszewsky and H.L. Dibble, pp.75–99. Philadelphia: University Museum Symposium Series, Volume 5, University of Pennsylvania.
Biglari, F., (2007) Approvisionnement et utilisation des matières premières au Paléolithique moyen dans la plaine de Kermanshah (Iran) : le cas de la Grotte Do-Ashkaft, Aires d'approvisionnement en matières premières et aires d'approvisionnement en ressources alimentaires, Approche intégrée des comportements. Proceedings of the XV UISPP World Congress (Lisbon, 4–9 September 2006) Vol. 5, pp. 227–239. Edited by Marie-Hélène Moncel, Anne-Marie Moigne, Marta Arzarello and Carlo Peretto. BAR International Series 1725
Langer, William L., ed. (1972). An Encyclopedia of World History (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. pp. 9. ISBN 978-0-395-13592-1. 978-0-395-13592-1
Boëda, E. (2013). "Levallois and non-Levallois blade production at Shuidonggou in Ningxia, North China". Quaternary International. 295: 191–203. Bibcode:2013QuInt.295..191B. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2012.07.020. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
"中國評論學術出版社". hk.crntt.com. http://hk.crntt.com/crn-webapp/cbspub/secDetail.jsp?bookid=37163&secid=37202
Lycett, Stephen J. (2007). "Is the Soanian tech-complex a Mode 1 or Mode 3 phenomenon? A morphometric assessment". Journal of Archaeological Science. 34 (9): 1434–1440. Bibcode:2007JArSc..34.1434L. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2006.11.001. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
Hu, Yue; Marwick, Ben; Zhang, Jia-Fu; Rui, Xue; Hou, Ya-Mei; Yue, Jian-Ping; Chen, Wen-Rong; Huang, Wei-Wen; Li, Bo (19 November 2018). "Late Middle Pleistocene Levallois stone-tool technology in southwest China". Nature. 565 (7737): 82–85. doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0710-1. PMID 30455423. S2CID 53873016. /wiki/Doi_(identifier)
Peng, Fei; Wang, Huimin; Gao, Xing (2014). "Blade production of Shuidonggou Locality (Northwest China): A technological perspective". Quaternary International. 347: 12–20. Bibcode:2014QuInt.347...12P. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.04.041. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.quaint.2014.04.041
Adler, D. S.; Wilkinson, K. N.; Blockley, S.; Mark, D. F.; Pinhasi, R.; Schmidt-Magee, B. A.; Nahapetyan, S.; Mallol, C.; Berna, F. (2014-09-26). "Early Levallois technology and the Lower to Middle Paleolithic transition in the Southern Caucasus". Science. 345 (6204): 1609–1613. Bibcode:2014Sci...345.1609A. doi:10.1126/science.1256484. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 25258079. S2CID 10266660. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)
Prehistoric Stone Tools Evolved Independently Within Local Populations, Say Researchers". Popular Archaeology, September 2014. [1] http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/june-2013/article/prehistoric-stone-tools-evolved-independently-within-local-populations-say-researchers