Mayroubian
Encyclopedia
The Mayroubian is a culture of the Lebanese
Stone Age
. Archaeological sites of this culture occur in the earliest, cretaceous
, sandstone
layer at altitudes of over 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) in the districts of Meten, Chouf and Kesrouan.
The Mayroubian type of site was first detected by Henri Fleisch
, who collected surface finds of flint
tools and defined a typological variation particular to "mountain sites". Lorraine Copeland
and Peter J. Wescombe preferred use of the term "Meyroubian" after one site was found that was not in the mountains. The term is used to describe around twenty five known surface sites with assemblages of around eighty percent Middle Paleolithic
to twenty percent Upper Paleolithic
in form. O. Prufer and E. Baldwin noted a resemblance to those in levels seven and nine of Yabrud
Shelter I. Henri Fleisch suggested successive occupations from the Middle Paleolithic to the Upper Paleolithic at all sites apart from Jebel Mazloum, which was classed as a transitional Upper Paleolithic site. Francis Hours
suggested it was a transitional industry between the Middle Paleolithic
and Upper Paleolithic periods and was placed by Copeland and Wescombe in the final Mousterian
.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
. Archaeological sites of this culture occur in the earliest, cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
, sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
layer at altitudes of over 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) in the districts of Meten, Chouf and Kesrouan.
The Mayroubian type of site was first detected by Henri Fleisch
Henri Fleisch
Reverend Father Henri Fleisch, born January 1 1904 in Jonvelle , France and died 10 February 1985 in Lebanon where he was buried. He was a French archaeologist, missionary and Orientalist, known for his work on classical Arabic language and Lebanese dialect and prehistory in Lebanon.He entered the...
, who collected surface finds of flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
tools and defined a typological variation particular to "mountain sites". Lorraine Copeland
Lorraine Copeland
Lorraine Copeland is an archaeologist specialising in the Palaeolithic period of the Near East. Her husband was Miles Axe Copeland Jr, and they had four children, all of whom have gone on to have notable careers: Miles Copeland III, Ian, Lorraine and Stewart Copeland.Lorraine Copeland was born in...
and Peter J. Wescombe preferred use of the term "Meyroubian" after one site was found that was not in the mountains. The term is used to describe around twenty five known surface sites with assemblages of around eighty percent Middle Paleolithic
Middle Paleolithic
The Middle Paleolithic is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleolithic in African archeology. The Middle Paleolithic and the Middle Stone Age...
to twenty percent Upper Paleolithic
Upper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of...
in form. O. Prufer and E. Baldwin noted a resemblance to those in levels seven and nine of Yabrud
Yabrud
Yabrud is a city in Syria, located in the Rif Dimashq governorate about 80 km north of the capital Damascus. The city is known for its ancient caves, most notably the Iskafta cave , and the Yabrud temple, which was once Jupiter...
Shelter I. Henri Fleisch suggested successive occupations from the Middle Paleolithic to the Upper Paleolithic at all sites apart from Jebel Mazloum, which was classed as a transitional Upper Paleolithic site. Francis Hours
Francis Hours
Reverend Father Francis Hours, born 1921 in France and died 1987 was a French Jesuit archaeologist known for his work on prehistory in the Levant....
suggested it was a transitional industry between the Middle Paleolithic
Middle Paleolithic
The Middle Paleolithic is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleolithic in African archeology. The Middle Paleolithic and the Middle Stone Age...
and Upper Paleolithic periods and was placed by Copeland and Wescombe in the final Mousterian
Mousterian
Mousterian is a name given by archaeologists to a style of predominantly flint tools associated primarily with Homo neanderthalensis and dating to the Middle Paleolithic, the middle part of the Old Stone Age.-Naming:...
.
Further Reading
- Prufer, O., & Baldwin, E., "Mechmiche and Meyrouba ; two Palaeolithic Stations in the Lebanon, Quartär, vol. 9, p. 61, Freiberg (No date).
- Fleisch, Henri., Les stations préhistoriques de montagne au Liban. Acts of the 6th C.I.S.P.P., Rome, 1962 (1966).
- Hours, Francis., Michmiche : mélange ou industrie de transition? Acts of the 6th C.I.S.P.P., Rome, 1962 (1966).
- Hours, Francis., Le problème d'apparition du paléolithique supérieur dans le Proche-Orient. Acts of the 4th International Speological Congress, Ljubljana, 1965.