Middle Paleolithic sites, tools, hominids

The Middle Paleolithic (MP) period saw the emergence of Homo sapiens archaicus who is associated with a new type of flake tool industry, Mode III technology. In Europe, Middle Paleolithic industries are associated with Homo sapiens neanderthalis. In Africa the Middle Paleolithic is designated the "Middle Stone Age" (MSA) and the associated species termed Homo helmei. MSA technologies are generally more advanced in sophistication than MP technologies in Europe; many MSA assemblages are blade-based, have points, and several contain backed geometric microliths, and bone-working occurs. (In Europe blades are not typical until the Upper Paleolithic and microliths until the subsequent Mesolithic.)

Early and key sites:
Ethiopia, Central Kenya, 400,000-120,000 BP - sidescrapers,
.....shaped points
Elandsfontein, Saldhana, South Africa, c. 350,000 BP - Homo sapiens
.....archaicus or rhodesiensis
Eyasi, Tanzania, >130,000 BP - Homo sapiens archaicus;
.....Sangoan (handaxes, picks, points, blades)
Kapthurin Formation, Kenya, c. 280,000 BP - MSA with blades;
.....75 pieces red ochre
Ngaloba, Laetoli, Tanzania, 200-490,000 BP or c. 120,000 BP - Homo
.....helmei (LH 18); MSA tools
Guomde, Kenya, Chari Form. 270-300,000 BP - Homo helmei
Florisbad, South Africa, 260,000 BP or - Homo helmei; MSA
Malewa Gorge, Kenya, 240,000 BP - MSA tools
La Cotte de St. Brelade, France, 238,000 BP - MP tools
Maastricht-Belvédere, Netherlands, 238,000 BP - MP tools
Gademotta, Ethiopia, c. 235,000 ±5,000 BP - MSA with blades
Bir Tarfawi and Bir Sahara East, Egypt, c. 230,000 BP - MSA tools
Weimar-Ehringsdorf, Germany, 230,000 BP - 'early' Homo sapiens
.....neanderthalis, MP tools
Various MP sites in Levant, O2-7 = 215±30,000 BP - MP tools
Kabwe, Broken Hill, Zambia. c. 200,000 or >125,,000 BP - Homo sapiens
.....archaicus or rhodesiensis; Sangoan tools, 1 piece ochre,
.....ochred spheroid
Hathnora, Narmada, Madhya Pradesh, India, (faunal) 200-300K BP - Homo
.....sapiens archaic and pygmy archaic
Twin Rivers, Zambia, >200,000 BP - Lupemban MSA tools, 300
.....pieces of hematite, specularite, and other full spectrum colorants
Kalambo Falls, Zambia, Useries c. 180,000 BP - Lupemban MSA
.....tools, red ochre
Border Cave, South Africa, >195,000 BP up to maximal Ox7
.....238,000 BP - MSA tools
Vertesszöllös, Hungary, 185±25,000 BP - 'Buda' industry, Homo
.......sapiens archaicus 'with erectoid features'
Bau de l'Aubesier, France, 169±17-191±15,000 BP - Homo sapiens
.....archaicus pre-Neanderthal, caring feeding for debilitated individuals
Florisbad, South Africa, Units M-G, c. 160,000 BP - MSA tools
Herto, Ethiopia, Ar/Ar 154-160,000 BP - Homo sapiens idaltu;
.......mixed 'final Acheulian' and MSA tool features; skull defleshing
.......nonutilitarian cutmarks, hence mortuary ritual
Singa, Sudan, 130-190,000 BP - Homo helmei; ?MSA?
16R Dune, Didwana, Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India, (Th/U) 150,000±10,000 or
......144,000±12,000 - MP tools
Dali, China, 150,000 - Homo sapiens archaicus - MP tools
La Chaise, France, 151,000 BP - 'early' Homo sapiens neanderthalis;
.....MP tools
Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, 90-125 or 105-190,000 BP - Homo helmei; MSA
.....('Levalloiso-Mousterian')
Rosh Ein Mor, Israel, (Useries) 200+9.5/-8.7K or (est.) 150-180K - 'Tabun D'
La Chaise, France, 126,000 BP - 'classic' Homo sapiens neanderthalis;
.....MP tools
Abdur, Eritrea, 125,000±7,000 BP - MSA tools, bifacial handaxe,
.....flake and blade 'transitional industry; coastal marine adaptation
Bukit Jawa, Lenggong, Perak, Malaysia, >100,000 - 'MP tools'
Patpara, Middle Son, India, >103K (100-150K) - blade and flake blade MP
Dakleh Oasis, Egypt, 90-160,000 BP - MP (Aterian)
Haua Fteah, Libya, c. 80-125,000 BP - Homo helmei; 'Levalloiso-Mousterian'
Yabrud I, Syria, Levels 1-10, (OIS 5d) 71-110K or (OIS 5e) 110-128,000 BP -
.....'Tabun D' Mousterian
Samnapur, Narmada, Madhya Pradesh, India, (ash) ca. 74,000 BP -MP tools
Mugharet el Aiya, Morocco, 65-90,000 BP - Homo helmei; MSA
.....presumed Aterian
El Guettar, Libya, 65-90,000 BP or 130-140,000 BP - MSA (Aterian)
.....and spheroid pile with Aterian point in center deposited in spring
Kebara Cave VI-XII, Israel, VI (TL) 60,000±4,000, (ESR) 62,000±8,000; (AMS) >48K
.....- Homo sapiens neanderthalis burial, skull removal?, 'Tabun B' Mousterian tools,
.....animal bones with engraved marks, lines and chevrons
Lakhmapur East and 189 other sites, Kaladgi Basin, Karnataka, India, 50-100,000 BP
.....MP tools
Dederiyeh Cave, Syria, Layer 8, c. 50-70,000 BP - Homo sapiens
.....neanderthalis, MP tools of type Tabun B, infant burial with
.....limestone slab and triangular flint in heart area
Starosele, Crimea, 40-80,000 BP - Micoquian MP, with hafting of wide
.....variety of of tools, possible projectile or thrusting spears
Le Moustier, France, 55,800 - Mousterian tools
Shanidar, Iraq, 50,600 BP - 'classic' Homo sapiens neanderthalis,
.....Mousterian tools
La Chapelle, France, 47-56,000 BP - 'classic' Homo sapiens neanderthalis
Amud B, (ESR) 43±5K to 48±6K - H. s. neanderthalis, 'Tabun B' tools
Le Moustier, France, 40,300 BP - 'classic' Homo sapiens neanderthalis
Mula Dam, Maharashtra, India, (C14) 31,980+5715/-3340 BP - MP tools

Paleontology: The Middle Stone Age (MSA) period saw the emergence of Homo sapiens archaicus in Africa (also called Homo rhodesiensis and Homo sapiens idalltu or Homo helmei) around 300,000+ BP. Early Homo neanderthalis appears in Europe c. 230,000 BP. Homo sapiens archaicus appears in Asia somewhere between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago and in Australia possibly 100,000 to 60,000 years ago with subsequent arrivals perhaps as late as 6,000 BP (Kow Swamp, OSL 22-19K, C14 15-9K BP; Lake Nitchie, 7-6.5K BP; Cossack >7,000 BP). Later, European early Neanderthalis evolved into 'classic' neanderthalis, around 130,000 BP. Based on DNA studies it appears that Homo neanderthalis became extinct or, as evidenced in recent Portuguese skeleton, 24,500 BP, faded away by interbreeding into Homo sapiens sapiens. Based on mitochondrial DNA analysis it appears that in Africa Homo sapiens archaicus (idaltu or helmei) evolved into anatomically modern Homo sapiens sapiens (AMHS), who at first continued the use of MP tool technology.

Tool Characteristics: In Europe, Homo sapiens archaicus innovates Mode III industries, typified by prepared-core flake tools around 300,000-250,000 BP. There is evidence of prepared core technique as early as 700,000 BP in Africa and the African MSA appears at 280,000 BP.

The Mousterian, named after Le Moustier, is the name given to the tool assemblages belonging to Neanderthals in western Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Chief feature of the Mousterian is discoid or Levallois shaping of a core aimed at producing flakes suitable for trimming into various types of sidescrapers. Another frequent tool is the Mousterian point.

The Middle Stone Age tools of Africa lack the emphasis on sidescrapers but are lightly trimmed. There are many regional variants, such as heavy-duty Sangoan and Lupemban tools, finely shaped bifacial points at Stillbay, Pietersburg and Bambata, South Africa. At one of the earliest MSA sites, Kapthurin (280,000 BP), blades occur. The North African Aterian is characterized by tanged bifacial points. Microlithic tools were made at Klasies River Mouth (60,000 BP or older). Mode II forms, such as handaxes, also continue into the Middle Paleolithic (Mousterian of Acheulian Tradition of Europe and Middle East) and MSA (Sangoan). In Australia, first arrivals from about 60,000 BP had a 'Core and Scraper Tradition,' which also had bifaces (handaxes); this tradition continued until recent times even after the inception of blade and microlithic tools about 6,000 BP.

Economic Subsistence Mode: Large, medium and small game hunting and fishing and continued scavenging and gathering.

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