Mousterian

Mousterian
The Paleolithic
before Homo (Pliocene) Lower Paleolithic (c. 2.6 Ma300 ka) Oldowan (2.61.8 Ma) Acheulean (1.70.1 Ma) Clactonian (0.30.2 Ma) Middle Paleolithic (30030 ka) Mousterian (30030 ka) Aterian (82 ka) Upper Paleolithic (5010 ka) Baradostian (36 ka) Chtelperronian (3529 ka) Aurignacian (3226 ka) Gravettian (2822 ka) Solutrean (2117 ka) Magdalenian (1810 ka) Hamburg (15 ka) Ahrensburg (13 ka) Swiderian (10 ka) Mesolithic Stone Age

Mousterian is a name given by archaeologists to a style of predominantly flint tools (or industry) associated primarily with Homo neanderthalensis and dating to the Middle Paleolithic, the middle part of the Old Stone Age.

Naming
The culture was named after the type site of Le Moustier, a rock shelter in the Dordogne region of France. Similar flintwork has been found all over unglaciated Europe and also the Near East and North Africa. Handaxes, racloirs and points constitute the industry; sometimes a Levallois technique or another prepared-core technique was employed in making the flint flakes.

Restoration of Le Moustier Neanderthals by Charles R. Knight

Characteristics

Mousterian tools that have been found in Europe were made by Neanderthals and date from between 300,000 BP and 30,000 BP (from Layer 2A dated 330 5 ka, (OIS) 9 at Pradayrol, France).[1] In Northern Africa and the Near East they were also produced by anatomically modern humans. In the Levant for example, assemblages produced by Neanderthals are indistinguishable from those produced by Qafzeh type modern humans.[2] It may be an example of acculturation of modern humans by Neanderthals because the culture after 130,000 years reached the Levant from Europe (the first Mousterian industry appears there 200,000 BP) and the modern Qafzeh type humans appear in the Levant another 100,000 years later.

Mousterian Possible variants are Denticulate , Charentian (Ferrassie & Quina) named after the Charente region,[3] Typical and the Acheulean Tradition (MTA) - Type-A and Type-B.[4] The Industry was superseded by the Chtelperronian during 35,000-29,000 BP.

Right : Proximal Phalanges Left : Findspot : Beuzeville, Eure, France.

Locations
Mousterian artifacts have been located in sites in Northwest Africa. Contained within a stratigraphic column in the Syria region, along with a Neanderthaloid skeleton. Located in the Haibak valley of Afghanistan. Uzbekistan has sites of Mousterian culture, including Teshik-Tash. Turkmenistan also has Mousterian relics. Siberia has many sites with Mousterian style implements.
Geographical distribution of Mousterian sites

References
[1] Skinner et al., New ESR Dates for a New BoneBearing Layer at Pradayrol, Lot, France 2007, "Abstracts of the PaleoAnthropology Society 2007 Meetings." PaleoAnthropology 2007:A1-A35 [2] Shea, J. J., 2003: Neandertals [sic], competition and the origin of modern human behaviour in the Levant, Evolutionary Anthropology, 12:173-187. [3] Andrew Lock, Charles R. Peters - Handbook of human symbolic evolution - 906 pages Oxford science publications Wiley-Blackwell, 1999 (http:/ / books. google. co. uk/ books?id=mVj4P8DCuqIC& pg=PA243& lpg=PA243& dq=charentian+ mousterian& source=bl& ots=r6pwJ4B-OC& sig=vpN65OjOykURGaKJy0SMhyNe6RI& hl=en& sa=X& ei=ZewGT4SoB4nf4QSohsGNCA& ved=0CF8Q6AEwCTgU#v=onepage& q=charentian mousterian& f=false) ISBN 0-631-21690-1 RETRIEVED 2012-01-06 [4] University of Oslo P.O. Box 1072 - Blindern-0316 Oslo-Norway email : fa-admin@admin.uio.no. / international@mn.uio.no - Universitetet i Oslo (http:/ / www3. hf. uio. no/ sarc/ iakh/ lithic/ MOUST/ mousterian. html) RETRIEVED 2012-01-06

External links
Neanderthals Last Stand Is Traced (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/13/science/14neanderthal. html?ex=1315800000&en=ca90a9bfe57071f2&ei=5089) New York Times article (Published: September 13, 2006)
Precededby Mousterian Succeededby Micoquien 300,00030,000 BP Chtelperronian

Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

Mousterian Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=577407230 Contributors: Adagio Cantabile, Adamsan, Altenmann, Ams80, Anomalocaris, Archaeodontosaurus, Archaeomoonwalker, Bastiche, Behaafarid, Benw, Bhumiya, Bri, Chris fardon, ChrisGualtieri, CieloEstrellado, Comtebenoit, Cruccone, Cuchullain, Dbachmann, Dirrival, Dr. Norris, Drift chambers, Epastore, Fences and windows, Floris V, Fram, FunkMonk, Glenn, Gongoozler123, Goustien, Gurch, Gurin Nicolas, Hurmata, Hylobates, Icairns, JamesBWatson, JaxsSunflower14, Jcub, Jo3sampl, JoKing, Joy, KapitanCookie, Khamm, Manon Delamaison, Mattisse, Mervyn, Miaow Miaow, Mira3z, Moxy, Nascigl, Patrick MMA Bringmans, PaulWalter, Per Honor et Gloria, Permacultura, RJP, Rainwarrior, Rich Farmbrough, Rudolf Pohl, Sheynhertz-Unbayg, Speednat, Tktktk, Tubbienine, Updatehelper, Vald, Wingedsubmariner, Ziggurat, Zoeperkoe, 35 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

File:Le Moustier.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Le_Moustier.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Charles R. Knight Image: Pointe levallois Beuzeville MHNT PRE.2009.0.203.2.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Pointe_levallois_Beuzeville_MHNT_PRE.2009.0.203.2.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: User:Archaeodontosaurus Image: Os Impression MHNT PRE 2009.0.206.3 Noir.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Os__Impression_MHNT_PRE_2009.0.206.3_Noir.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: Didier Descouens File:Distribution gographique des sites du Moustrien.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Distribution_gographique_des_sites_du_Moustrien.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: User:Manon Delamaison

License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 //creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/