Besor 37 is an open-air site in the northwestern Negev Desert (Israel). Excavations at the site in 2020 uncovered a rich, in situ Middle Paleolithic assemblage composed of flint and limestone artifacts, animal bones and charcoal. The good preservation of the site is due to its rapid burial by overbank deposition of fluvially reworked loess. Dating using both Optically Stimulated Luminescence and 14 C suggests an average age of...

In recent years, archaeological research has demonstrated the presence of abstract non-utilitarian behaviour amongst palaeolithic hominins, fuelling discussions concerning the origin and implications of such complex behaviours. A key component in these discussions is the aesthetic and symbolic character of intentionally incised artefacts. In this study, we emphasize the geometry of the incisions as clues to intentionality. Usi...