The first directly dated evidence for Palaeolithic occupation on the Indian coast at Sandhav, Kachchh. (15th November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Blinkhorn, J.; Ajithprasad, P.; Mukherjee, A.; Kumar, P.; Durcan, J.A.; Roberts, P.
• Is Part Of: Quaternary science reviews. Volume 224(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-11-15
• Subjects: Modern human dispersal -- South Asia -- Middle Palaeolithic -- Coastal occupation -- Late Pleistocene; Geology, Stratigraphic -- Quaternary -- Periodicals; Stratigraphie -- Quaternaire -- Périodiques; 551.79
• DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.105975
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0277-3791

Abstract

Abstract: South Asia has a rich Palaeolithic heritage, and chronological resolution for this record has substantially improved over the past decade as a result of focused, interdisciplinary research at a number of key sites. Expanding the spatial diversity of dated Palaeolithic sites in South Asia grows increasingly important to examine how patterns of change through time vary within and between the region's diverse habitats. Critically, alternate models of modern human dispersals into South Asia highlight the significance of either coastal or continental routes of dispersal, but currently no coastal Palaeolithic sites directly dating to the timeframe of human expansions are known. Our previous research in Kachchh was the first study to clearly identify the presence of Palaeolithic sites in Late Pleistocene landscapes in close proximity to the Indian Ocean coastline. Here, we present the first results of surface survey and test excavation at the site of Sandhav (Kachchh, India), approximately 25 km from the modern shoreline. We characterise the geomorphology of the landscape, highlighting multiple phases of alluvial aggradation and post-depositional carbonate formation, associated with Palaeolithic artefacts. To date, excavations have tested the uppermost Pleistocene deposit, yielding a small collection of fresh Middle Palaeolithic artefacts associated with a luminescence age dating to the first half of MIS 5 (∼114 ka), which provides a minimum age for Late Acheulean artefacts in underlying units. We discuss our findings in the context of debates surrounding the timing, lithic technologies, and ecologies associated with the expansions of modern humans into South Asia. Highlights: Near-coastal Middle Palaeolithic occupation at Sandhav, India ∼114 thousand years ago. Middle Palaeolithic occupations corresponds to period of enhance monsoon. Distinctive tanged point comparable to those in Indian sites linked to modern humans. Presence of older sediment deposits and Acheulean technology in Naira Valley. Results are consistent with Middle Palaeolithic dispersals of modern humans into India.