336 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 
weeks in camp during May and June, and helped with the palzontological 
side of the work. 
‘ The object of this season’s work was to enlarge the trench and sounding, 
dug in 1933 in the terrace and outer chamber of the Tabun, so as to expose 
the bed-rock over as large an area as possible. ‘The excavation was divided 
into two main parts : 
‘(a) The 1933 excavation had left a long strip of deposit (surface area 
approximately 4m. X 11 m.) in place along the S.W. wall of the outer 
chamber and terrace. In this strip excavation had been carried just below 
the base of Layer C (Lower Mousterian), 7.e. 2:40 m. below datum. This 
area was labelled Locus W. 
' € (6) A fresh area was excavated on the slope of the terrace, immediately 
to the N.W. of the 1933 trench. After the superficial deposit (Layer A) 
had been cleared, the surface of the archzological layers was found to run 
from 2 m. to 8 m. below datum. In spite of the steep slope of the deposit, 
Layers C and D (Levalloisian) were found to be still in place over the 
greater part of this area, but they petered out towards the base of the slope. 
Layer B was absent, having petered out within the limits of the 1933 trench. 
This area was labelled Locus N. 
‘ Locus W.—All through Layer D the deposit was extremely hard, and 
flints were sparse. A fair amount of animal bone was obtained, especially 
against the S.W. rock wall. | Artefacts and fauna corresponded with those 
found in 1933, the industry being in the Levalloisian tradition with a high 
proportion of points and triangular flakes, while the animal remains point to 
a warm, damp period. 
‘The surface of Layer E (Acheuleo-Mousterian) was reached at 4:60 m. 
below datum on the outer edge of the Locus, but it rose to 4 m. below datum 
against the S.W. rock wall. 
“In 1933 Layer E was subdivided into Ea, Eb, Ec and Ed. This year’s 
work, while confirming a gradual modification in the industry throughout 
the layer, showed that the typological divisions were very much less clearly 
marked than the finds made in the 1933 trench had led me to suppose. 
In particular, the diminution in size of the implements in Ed turned out to 
be illusory, as did the localisation of La Micoque hand-axes in Ec. These 
hand-axes did, indeed, appear round about this level, but their arrival and 
disappearance was much more gradual than in the 1933 trench. Another 
interesting point was that the proportion of hand-axes to flake implements 
was much greater in Locus W than elsewhere. Stores of hand-axes were 
found in different places all through Layer E. 
‘ My hope that animal bones would prove to be more abundant against 
S.W. rock wall than in the 1933 trench was justified, and we now have a 
good idea of the fauna of the Acheuleo-Mousterian stage. Both rhinoceros 
and hippopotamus are present, so it seems clear that this stage falls within 
the warm, damp period already known in C and D. A new and important 
find was a large portion of a tusk of elephant—the first Pleistocene elephant 
recorded from the Near East. Unfortunately no molars were found, so it 
will not be possible to identify the species. This tusk was found in Ec 
at 7°70 m. below datum. 
© From the surface of Ea downwards the S.W. rock wall sloped sharply 
away, so that by the time Ed was reached Locus W had approximately 
doubled its area. As the wall continued to recede it became evident that 
it would be impossible to excavate the whole area in one season and with 
the funds at our disposal. Another disconcerting feature was that the base 
of Ed plunged very steeply to the S.W.: this was made clear by the work 
that was being carried on concurrently in Locus QQ, which remained about 
