MOUSTERIAN TOOL SELECTION, REDUCTION, AND DISCARD AT GHAR, ISRAEL

A recently-proposed model relating to the reduction of Mousterian stone tools is rested and elaborated in order to satisfy data derived from the relatively small collection of Ghar, a Mousterian rock shelter in the Judean Hills. Observations are also made with regard to selection patterns of blanks intended for retouch. At Ghar tools apparently were selected and retouched with an emphasis either on a sharp distal point or on a long lateral edge. It follows that the pointed implement known as the Mousterian point should not be regarded as an exhausted form of a scraper. Discard criteria are proposed on the assumption that points and scrapers are ''curated'' tools. Substantiating this assumption involves a brief intersite comparison, which suggests that sheltered sites may differ from open-air sites in the ratio of points and scrapers to notched pieces. One possible interpretation is that more ''curated'' tools were discarded at the more ''residential'' sites.