Halfan culture
| Geographical range | Upper Egypt |
|---|---|
| Period | Epipalaeolithic |
| Dates | circa 20,000 B.C.E. — circa 12,000 B.C.E. |
| Preceded by | Khormusan Industry |
| Followed by | Qadan culture, Sebilian |
The Halfan industry is one of the Late Epipalaeolithic industries of the Nile Valley that begin to appear by 22,000 BP and is one of the earliest known backed-bladelet industries in Eastern Africa and is dated to 19,000 and 14,000 BP in Nubia and Egypt.[1]
Halfan is characterized by three main tools: Halfa flakes, backed microflakes, and backed microblades. It is only during a transitional stage that all three occur in significant amounts, but all types do occur in every assemblage. The most general observation, is the relative proportions of flakes, microblades, and cores chosen for retouch. This reflects both the tools desired in each assemblage (i.e., Halfa flakes vs. backed microblades), and the degree of the development of the microblade technology (i.e., backed flakes vs. backed microblades).
The only type which shows a high stage of development is the Halfa core. The basic orientation of the Halfa core to opposed platforms is reflected in the number of poor opposed platform flake cores. These are never extensively utilized, and no real care has gone into their initial preparation. The Haifa core does, however, have a number of features which could lead to more generalized, yet effective, core types.
Levallois cores are present, but they are poorly made and have not received the careful attention that the Halfa cores have. In fact, the Levallois flake is merely a more generalized form of Halfa flake and as such could have been of no great value to an industry producing Halfa flakes.[2]