Named after the French village where the tools were first discovered, the Levallois Technique of creating stone tools was first developed in the Middle Paleolithic period in the Mousterian industry. The rock, or core, is first rounded by removing flakes around the edges. Flakes are then knocked off by hitting the core from the outer edge towards the center. This flaking is continued around the circumference of the core. After the core has been shaped, a single, large flake is removed from the center. This creates a flake with cutting edges on all sides. This step-by-step preparation indicates a higher level of intelligence previously unseen in hominids. | 
