Middle Paleolithic industries of Mongolia: chronology and technological variability

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Advances in Stone Age Archaeology of Central Asia" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Middle Paleolithic is represented mainly by its final stage in Mongolia, and chronologically overlaps with the appearance of Initial Upper Paleolithic large blade technology in the region. Although human fossils associated with archaeological remains have not yet been found in Mongolia, presumably several human populations bearing different cultural traditions occupied this area between 50-40 ka cal. BP. In 2018-2020 we generated new OSL and radiocarbon dates for Middle-Upper Paleolithic sequences at open-air and cave sites in central and southern Mongolia. These dates and associated archaeological material revealed the relatively late existence of Middle Paleolithic industries there. Earlier Middle Paleolithic stages are known from Tsagaan Agui Cave in the Gobi Desert. Here, we present a chronological model and outline technological variability in Middle Paleolithic industries that indicate increasing cultural heterogeneity in Mongolia. These industries exhibit persistent conservative traits, including use of Levallois technology and expedient flaking throughout the Middle Paleolithic, and they reflect fewer technological innovations than contemporary complexes in the neighboring Altai Mountains of southern Siberia. This study was supported by RSF grant #24-48-03020.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Advances in Stone Age Archaeology of Central Asia

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51359