Flake productivity in the Levallois recurrent centripetal and discoid technologies: New insights from experimental and archaeological lithic series

During the Middle Paleolithic, hunter-gatherers were flexible in their use of lithic technologies and sometimes applied one knapping strategy, exploited different methods simultaneously or combined them in ramified operative chains. The Levallois recurrent centripetal method and the bifacial discoid method were two of the flaking strategies most frequently used by Neanderthals, but understanding of their changeover in the archaeological record is still discussed. This paper aims to add new data to the current debate investigating the aspects of productivity of the Levallois recurrent centripetal and bifacial discoid technologies with an experimental series and an archaeological lithic series. The results reveal that these two knapping strategies not only share similarities in blank morphologies but also could have similar values in flake production. Productivity is strongly influenced by the knapper's goals and by the maintenance of low values of flake thickness during the reduction sequence. Although the bifacial discoid is a more flexible and simpler method, the exclusive use of the Levallois recurrent centripetal modality during the Middle Paleolithic might be related to the features of the Levallois products that were more advantageous during longer foraging movements.