S5-2

An Early MIS 3 Microblade Assemblage From India

Garima Khansili1, Sheila Mishra2, Neetu Agarwal3

1Independent Scholar, India

2Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute, India

3Avadh Girls' Degree College, India

India is situated in a crucial spot for migrations to Southeast Asia and the Asian Pacific region. Archaeological data over the past couple of decades has shown that microblade technology was already present in the Indian subcontinent by early MIS 3. There are around ten dated archaeological sites on the Indian subcontinent that are dated within the early MIS 3 and associated with the microblade technology. The dates for microblade technology in India are as old as those from the Levant, which are considered the oldest in the world. The early presence of microblade technology in India, compared to Southeast Asia and Australia is rarely incorporated into reconstructions of modern human dispersals to southeast Asia and Australia. The site of Mehtakheri in central India has yielded one of the earliest dated microblade assemblages from the Indian subcontinent. The site has a long archaeological sequence. The archaeological horizon-2 from the site is characterised by microblade technology and dated to around 48 ka. This paper aims to present the results of detailed analysis of the microblade assemblage from Mehtakheri. The excavated area is marked by microblade production and therefore provides a good glimpse into the technology of manufacturing microblades at the site during MIS 3.