Between levels, we sometimes see slight differences in the methods for the production of blades and bladelets. It is not always easy to understand the reasons behind these differences. There are many possibilities: maybe sociological (for example, who is knapping), functional (what they are producing) or cultural (to which technological norms).
Variations in choices of technique
The flint products produced by the D71 habitations reveal an original choice of technique, that of producing long rectilinear blades instead of the curved blades produced by knappers in other habitations. Another difference between the camps is that the bladelets used to strengthen projectiles were sometimes extracted from small blocks of flint and sometimes from existing knapped flint blades or flakes .
Changes in the management of flint
The differences in the way flint was worked can be seen by comparing two habitations in locus 1, Q31 and U5. In habitation Q31, which is more recent, we can see that flint blocks were less carefully selected and simpler products were produced, demonstrating less care and knowledge. This relative drop in quality in Q31 compared to U5 may be explained by less rigorous management of flint, perhaps due to changes in behaviour and values in relation to this resource.
