PALÉORIENT, vol. 14/2 - 1988

THE AGE OF 'UBEIDIYA FORMATION

(JORDAN VALLEY, ISRAEL)

AND THE EARLIEST HOMINIDS IN THE LEVANT

E. TCHERNOV

similarity industry II,

'Ubeidiya formation may actually represent one of the oldest known industrial culture of Homo erectus outside Africa, a short time after the replacement of Homo habilis which took place some 1.5 m.y. ago. The outward dispersal of the African hominid populations should have taken place via the levantine corridor, by then, much as today, the only open geographic route. Hence it is not surprising that while discussing problems of early hominid dispersal over the Old World, the dating of 'Ubeidiya becomes an important issue. The Jordan Valley, as part of the Syro-African Rift, could have been one of the most secure landbridge connecting Eurasia and Africa. The archaeological finds at 'Ubeidiya reflects the earliest invasion event of man into Eurasia.

The Plio-Pleistocene lithographical and geophysical sequential events in the Central Jordan Valley set a minimum-maximum age limit on 'Ubeidiya Formation (Erq-el-Ahmar Formation and Yarmuk Basalt, about 0.9 m.y.), which is within the Matuyama reversed polarity epoch. With these limits further datings were based on biostratigraphical and cultural evidences.

If we accepted Van der Meulen's (1) effort at zonation with glacial stages, this would suggest a broadly Eburonian glacial-correlative age for the 'Ubeidiya occurrence, e.g., rather after the Olduvai N-event, perhaps ca. 1.5. m.y. ago (if not less).

In terms of the most recent Fefjar and Heinrich (2) arvicolid zonation, 'Ubeidiya may equate with their Microtus-Mimomys stage (which in fact

Fejfar himself, in litt. has suggested). In such an event there would be overlap with/between Horacek's (3) basal/lower Biharian (Betfia) phases, and a reasonable fit with the data from the southern parts of the Soviet union. If we also consider Janossy's (4) suggestion that 'Ubeidiya, as well as Brielle and Vallonet, equates to the lower Biharian Beftia phase, we reach a more general agreement for dating 'Ubeidiya to the Upper Villanyian.

The fossil mammalian community shows the strongest affinity and the best correlation with the Lower Biharian of Europe ; somewhat younger than Seneze (1.7 k.y., France) ; well within the Tamanian Faunal Complex (Russia), Ain-Anech (North Africa) and Olduvai Bed II (East Africa). The rich lithic assemblage of 'Ubeidiya demonstrates the closest affinity with Olduvai Upper Bed II, not only in terms of typology and technology but sometimes in functionality of artifacts. The list of mammalian Fauna is given in table 1.

Considering the geological minimum-maximum limit, the biochronological agreement with Eurasian and East African well dated fossil communities, and the striking similarity of its lithic industry with Olduvai Upper Bed II, 'Ubeidiya can be dated to 1.4 m.y.

In term of understanding hominids early dispersal, this age stays in full concert with the current (« outward - northeastward ») model of evolution.

Yet there is still much to learn about the history of the Jordan Valley, in particular the Erq-el-Ahmar Formation which antedates 'Ubeidiya and has lately

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Colloque Préhistoire Levant II Maison de lOrient-Lyon 30 mai-4 juin 1988 Editions du CNRS, Paris, 1989