Techno-cultural variability and settlement patterns in the Syrian desert during Late Middle Palaeolithic: a case from Umm el Tlel (central Syria)

International audienceWe propose a reconstitution of settlement dynamics in a semi-arid context considering the Mousterian sequence of Umm el Tlel. This open air site is located in the semi-arid steppe zone of Central Syria, in an area where aridity is attenuated by the presence of artesian springs. The Late Middle Palaeolithic sequence yielded a succession of occupations around a lake or backwaters, attributed to the Mousterian with Levallois reduction. We present a double analysis of one part of this sequence, represented by the occupation levels of complex V2. On one side technological analyses show the operative schemes variability for each level of this complex, suggesting a strong techno-cultural diversity of the human groups which occupied the site. On the other side, a comparison with experimental analyses shows the circulation of blanks, the introduction onto the site of some of the lithic artefacts, or their production in situ, and highlights the mobility patterns of each occupation, suggesting that the site was integrated in a complex network of places occupied by the human groups.The integration of these components of lithic analysis contributes to show the settlement modalities of this semi-arid region and the techno-cultural identity of the populations who occupied the area