The ‘loessic palaeolithic’ in South Tadjikistan, central Asia: Its industries, chronology and correlation
1995; Elsevier BV; Volume: 14; Issue: 7-8 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/0277-3791(95)00055-0
ISSN1873-457X
Autores Tópico(s)Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
ResumoThis paper starts with an introductory account of the Loessic Palaeolithic, a term used by the author from 1987 to describe those Palaeolithic sites which are associated with very thick loess-palaeosol successions. Following a discussion on Movius' hypothesis on the Lower Palaeolithic industry of Eurasia, a brief description of four major Palaeolithic sites in South Tadjikistan is given.'The main sites are Kuldara (0.8 Ma), Karatau 1(0.2 Ma), Lakhuti 1(0.13 Ma) and Obi-Mazar (0.09 Ma). They represent different periods of slowly evolved pebble culture without new influence from other regions. The main features of the Stone Age industry called 'Karatau culture' are as follows: the clear pebble technique without prepared core, bifacial and Levallois techniques; dispersion of the pebble-tools-choppers, stone slices, wedges, unifaces; and flakes which are not stable for this form and dimensions. The blades are practically absent. No series of the tools is observed and they are the side scrapers, 'scrapers on occasion', borers, points, carinate tools. The Karatau culture is similar to the lower Palaeolithic industries of China. The Karatau culture in South Tadjikistan has better geological context than other pebble industries of Central and South Asia.
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