Microlithic variation and the Mesolithic occupations of western India

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 22;17(6):e0267654. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267654. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Considerable confusion and uncertainty persist on the cultural and chronological contexts of Holocene microlithic assemblages reported from South Asia. The paucity of securely dated sites with microlithic remains has compounded the confusion. Evidence from sites securely attributed to the Mesolithic based on a holistic approach (including direct evidence of plant and animal exploitation strategies) is needed to provide a better understanding of Mesolithic lithic tool-kits. This study uses morphometric and statistical methods to assess the nature of the Holocene hunter-gatherer microlithic tools-kit from a radiometrically secured chronological context at Vaharvo Timbo, a recently excavated Mesolithic site in North Gujarat (India). The assemblage is further compared with the nearby contemporary site of Loteshwar to highlight similarities and differences within hunter-gatherer lithic assemblages, understanding which can provide detailed information about subsistence strategies as well as patterns of settlement and mobility. The results show general standardisation between these two sites regarding raw materials and manufacturing technique but variation in the relative abundance of tool types between these two sites, despite their close proximity, indicating diverse strategies of resource exploitation by the Holocene hunter-gatherer groups in western India.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Archaeology*
  • India
  • Occupations*

Grants and funding

CG MSCA-Individual Fellowships (Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, Grant No. 891238 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/msca-if-2019 JJGG Grant No. IJC2018-035161-I funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. https://www.ciencia.gob.es/en/ MM the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (Programa de Ayudas para Proyectos Arqueológicos en el Exterior 2009 and 2011) and the Catalan Government (Programa EXCAVA 2009)https://www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano/catalogo/becas-ayudas-y-subvenciones/ayudas-y-subvenciones/patrimonio/proyectos-arqueologicos-exterior.htmlhttps://agaur.gencat.cat/es/inici/ he funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.