Pages: 85-101

It is suggested that two major Middle Palaeolithic cultural traditions can be identified in the western part of Central Asia: the Mousterian (Teshik-Tash type) and Laminar (Obi-Rakhmatian) ones. Lithic materials from the Obi-Rakhmatian type assemblages formed the basis for the regional model of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition. Obi-Rakhmatian is divided into three successive stages — early, middle and late. While the early stages of the Obi-Rakhmatian are best described at the Kulbulak and Obi-Rakhmat sites, new developmental trends in knapping strategies during the middle and late phases of Obi-Rakhmatian were identified as a result of a detailed study of the Khudji assemblage (Tajikistan). Particular attention should be paid to the gradual spread of specialized technologies aimed at obtaining elongated blanks from wide-faced cores, as well as to changes in the ways truncated-faceted pieces were used.

Keywords: Western Pamir-Tien-Shan, Middle Palaeolithic, Obi-Rakhmatian cultural tradition, wide-faced cores, truncatedfaceted pieces.

Information about authors:

Konstantin Pavlenok (Novosibirsk, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Akademik Lavrentiev Ave., 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Andrey Krivoshapkin (Novosibirsk, Russian Federation). Doctor of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Akademik Lavrentiev Ave., 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
Alena Shalagina (Novosibirsk, Russian Federation). Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Akademik Lavrentiev Ave., 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]