A new look at the Middle Paleolithic lithic industry of the Teshik-Tash Cave, Uzbekistan, West Central Asia

Abstract

Teshik-Tash Cave, excavated in 1938 and 1939, is a key archaeological site for our understanding of the Middle Paleolithic population dynamics of Central Asia. Its privileged status is due to the discovery of well-preserved Neanderthal skeletal remains in association with rich lithic artifacts. However, despite repeated studies of the skeletal remains, the lithic industry has not received sufficient re-analysis with up-to-date information since its first publication more than a half century ago. The present paper reports our first results based on the collection stored at the State Museum of History of Uzbekistan, Tashkent. We show that a combination of hierarchical and nonhierarchical core reduction strategies, the former of which includes a particular type of Levallois technology, characterizes the Teshik-Tash industry. Typologically, the common manufacturing of side scrapers, associated with a small number of heavy-duty tools, are diagnostic. It is also notable that triangular points often common in the Middle Paleolithic of Southwest Asia are rare. This industry is regarded as an important Neanderthal cultural tradition of West Central Asia, whose precise spatio-temporal placement needs to be determined through comparisons with other assemblages from controlled excavations. In the meantime, its disparity from the Sibiryachikha Mousterian industry left by the Neanderthals of East Central Asia is incontestable. This finding helps us understand the complicated origin and development of Neanderthal groups in Central Asia.