Diversity of MIS 3 Levallois technology from Motravulapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India‐implications of MIS 3 cultural diversity in South Asia
The chronology and hominin association of the South Asian Middle Palaeolithic have attracted much attention in the last few decades. The emergence of Middle Palaeolithic culture in the region has been debated between the local origins (behavioural change) model based on an early date around 380 ka a...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1302419/full |
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| author | Devara Anil Monika Devi Monika Devi Neha Ati Mukesh C. P Zakir Khan Vrushab Mahesh P. Ajithprasad Naveen Chauhan Akash Pandey Gopesh Jha Gopesh Jha |
| author_facet | Devara Anil Monika Devi Monika Devi Neha Ati Mukesh C. P Zakir Khan Vrushab Mahesh P. Ajithprasad Naveen Chauhan Akash Pandey Gopesh Jha Gopesh Jha |
| author_sort | Devara Anil |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The chronology and hominin association of the South Asian Middle Palaeolithic have attracted much attention in the last few decades. The emergence of Middle Palaeolithic culture in the region has been debated between the local origins (behavioural change) model based on an early date around 380 ka and the diffusion (biological change) model based on Homo sapiens dispersals from Africa around 120–80 ka. The latter has more consensus, whereas the former requires a more robust chronological framework to attribute the emergence of the Middle Palaeolithic to behavioural changes. In the absence of hominin remains, the presence of Middle Palaeolithic technological trajectories are frequently used as behavioural markers of Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens fossil remains from the regions between Africa and South Asia dated to ∼ 200 ka presents more convincing support for the latter model. Here we present contextual, chronological and technological analysis of Middle Palaeolithic assemblages dated to 52 ka from Motravulapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India. Morphometrical analysis of the lithic assemblage indicates diverse Levallois core reductions were practised at the site at the onset of MIS 3. Further this evidence highlights the significance of MIS 3 cultural diversity in South Asia, likely related to changing population dynamics, cultural drift, and the highly variable climatic context of MIS 3. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:42:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b434ed82468549be803110c9c481a3ca |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-6463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:42:50Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-b434ed82468549be803110c9c481a3ca2023-12-01T13:21:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632023-12-011110.3389/feart.2023.13024191302419Diversity of MIS 3 Levallois technology from Motravulapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India‐implications of MIS 3 cultural diversity in South AsiaDevara Anil0Monika Devi1Monika Devi2Neha Ati3Mukesh C. P4Zakir Khan5Vrushab Mahesh6P. Ajithprasad7Naveen Chauhan8Akash Pandey9Gopesh Jha10Gopesh Jha11Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, IndiaLuminescence Laboratory, AMOPH Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, IndiaIndian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, IndiaDepartment of Archaeology and Ancient History, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, IndiaDepartment of Archaeology and Ancient History, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, IndiaSchool of Studies in Ancient Indian History, Culture, and Archaeology, Pt. Ravishankar, Shukla University, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, IndiaDepartment of Archaeology and Ancient History, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, IndiaDepartment of Archaeology and Ancient History, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, IndiaLuminescence Laboratory, AMOPH Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, IndiaDepartment of Archaeology and Ancient History, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, IndiaDepartment of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology (formerly MPI for the Science of Human History), Jena, GermanyInstitute for Archaeological Sciences, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, GermanyThe chronology and hominin association of the South Asian Middle Palaeolithic have attracted much attention in the last few decades. The emergence of Middle Palaeolithic culture in the region has been debated between the local origins (behavioural change) model based on an early date around 380 ka and the diffusion (biological change) model based on Homo sapiens dispersals from Africa around 120–80 ka. The latter has more consensus, whereas the former requires a more robust chronological framework to attribute the emergence of the Middle Palaeolithic to behavioural changes. In the absence of hominin remains, the presence of Middle Palaeolithic technological trajectories are frequently used as behavioural markers of Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens fossil remains from the regions between Africa and South Asia dated to ∼ 200 ka presents more convincing support for the latter model. Here we present contextual, chronological and technological analysis of Middle Palaeolithic assemblages dated to 52 ka from Motravulapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India. Morphometrical analysis of the lithic assemblage indicates diverse Levallois core reductions were practised at the site at the onset of MIS 3. Further this evidence highlights the significance of MIS 3 cultural diversity in South Asia, likely related to changing population dynamics, cultural drift, and the highly variable climatic context of MIS 3.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1302419/fullLevallois technologyMiddle Palaeolithicluminescence chronologySouth AsiaHomo sapiens dispersals |
| spellingShingle | Devara Anil Monika Devi Monika Devi Neha Ati Mukesh C. P Zakir Khan Vrushab Mahesh P. Ajithprasad Naveen Chauhan Akash Pandey Gopesh Jha Gopesh Jha Diversity of MIS 3 Levallois technology from Motravulapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India‐implications of MIS 3 cultural diversity in South Asia Frontiers in Earth Science Levallois technology Middle Palaeolithic luminescence chronology South Asia Homo sapiens dispersals |
| title | Diversity of MIS 3 Levallois technology from Motravulapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India‐implications of MIS 3 cultural diversity in South Asia |
| title_full | Diversity of MIS 3 Levallois technology from Motravulapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India‐implications of MIS 3 cultural diversity in South Asia |
| title_fullStr | Diversity of MIS 3 Levallois technology from Motravulapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India‐implications of MIS 3 cultural diversity in South Asia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diversity of MIS 3 Levallois technology from Motravulapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India‐implications of MIS 3 cultural diversity in South Asia |
| title_short | Diversity of MIS 3 Levallois technology from Motravulapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India‐implications of MIS 3 cultural diversity in South Asia |
| title_sort | diversity of mis 3 levallois technology from motravulapadu andhra pradesh india implications of mis 3 cultural diversity in south asia |
| topic | Levallois technology Middle Palaeolithic luminescence chronology South Asia Homo sapiens dispersals |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1302419/full |
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