Pages: 265-277

The study of Palaeolithic bifacial technologies in western Central Asia is of crucial importance because of their traditional interpretation as a diagnostic element of the Acheulian techno-complex. At the same time, there was noted almost complete absence of bifaces and bifacial preparation spalls in the regional Middle Palaeolithic assemblages. The paper presents the discovery of the first bifaces in the Middle Palaeolithic of Tajikistan, on the Gofilabad site. The stratigraphic position of the artifacts in question within the first buried paleosol alow to date them to MIS5. This discovery expands the geographic scope of the recently defined Middle Palaeolithic bifacial tradition in Western Central Asia.

Keywords: Western Central Asia, Middle Palaeolithic, Gofilabad site, loess sequence, bifacial technology, Acheulian techno-complex

Information about authors:

Tura Khujageldiev (Dushanbe, Tajikistan). Candidate of Technical Sciences. A. Donish Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan. Rudaki St., 33, Dushanbe, 734025, Tajikistan
E-mail: [email protected]
Svetlana Shnaider (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]