Fig 1.
Location of the sites mentioned in the text (top), stratigraphy of the southern section (bottom left) and location of the studied quadrates within the excavation area (bottom right).
Satellite maps: NASA, public domain. Stratigraphy and cave entrance photograph: Magnus Haaland.
Table 1.
Assemblage composition for each layer of the M3 phase based on lithics >2cm.
The counts of lithics <2cm are listed in S1 Table.
Table 2.
Types of cores per layer.
Table 3.
Blank morphologies of complete blanks per layer.
Fig 2.
Raw material composition for the M3 phase layers.
Values in table expressing percentages.
Fig 3.
Refitted cobble fragments from layer CIB (1) and typical features visible on cortical surfaces of silcrete pieces (2).
Fig 4.
Quartz: 1. Chert: 2. Silcrete: 3, 6. Quartzite: 4, 5. Layer CM: 1, 2. Layer CIBh2: 4, 5. Layer CIB: 3, 6. Edge damaged: 1. Continuous short retouch: 2, 3. Denticulates: 4, 5. Edge damage and single clactonian notch: 6. Serpulid tubes on cobble cortex: 6.
Table 4.
Types of formal and informal tools.
Fig 5.
Schematized view of the chaînes opératoires occurring in the M3 phase: main raw materials types are indicated for each core reduction method.
Main end-products are presented in black contours in the centre of the frames while end-products that are produced by different core reduction methods are presented in grey contours.
Fig 6.
Quartzite: 1, 2. Silcrete: 2, 9. Quartz: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Layer CM: 3. Layer CJ: 8. Layer CN/CO: 4, 5, 6, 7. Layer CIB: 1, 2, 9. Numbers in white circles indicate the chronology of the main removals (1 = earliest removal). Parallel centripetal: 1, 2, 4. Multidirectional: 3. Parallel unidirectional: 5, 6, 8. Kombewa-like exploitation on first flakes: 7, 9.
Fig 7.
All silcrete, except 4: quartz and 12: quartzite. Layer CN/CO: 10. Layer CIBh2: 7, 8, 13. Layer CIB: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 15. Layer CIA: 9, 12, 14.
Fig 8.
All silcrete, except 3: quartzite. Layer CJ: 1, 5. Layer CIA: 3, 4. Layer CIBh2: 2. Numbers in white circles indicate the chronology of the main removals (1 = earliest removal). Parallel unidirectional convergent: 1, 2. Parallel unidirectional blade: 3. Inclined: 4, 5.
Fig 9.
All silcrete except 2 and 8: quartzite and 13: quartz. Layer CJ: 9. Layer CIBh2: 7, 8, 12, 13, 14. Layer CIB: 2, 6, 10, 11, 15. Layer CIA: 1, 3, 4, 5.
Table 5.
Platform types for each category of blank morphology (S3 Table) with an intact proximal part.
Fig 10.
Axial length and platform width of a sample of the two most distinctive triangular blanks morphologies.