What are the stone tools of middle and upper palaeolithic culture ? Discuss the tool making techniques.

Middle and Upper Paleolithic Stone Tools

The Middle and Upper Paleolithic periods represent significant stages in human prehistory marked by advancements in stone tool technology and cultural complexity. Stone tools from these periods provide valuable insights into the behavior, technology, and social organization of early human populations.

1. Middle Paleolithic Stone Tools:
The Middle Paleolithic period, spanning approximately 300,000 to 30,000 years ago, is characterized by the emergence of anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) and Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) in Eurasia. Middle Paleolithic stone tool assemblages are typically associated with Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens, and they exhibit a range of tool types suited for various tasks, including hunting, butchery, woodworking, and hide processing.

Tool Types: Middle Paleolithic stone tools include:

• Levallois flakes: These flakes are carefully prepared and shaped using a technique called the Levallois method, which involves striking a prepared core to produce a predetermined flake shape. Levallois flakes are often symmetrical and exhibit distinctive flake scars and platforms.
• Mousterian points: Mousterian points are elongated, triangular or oval-shaped tools with finely retouched edges, likely used as spear or dart points for hunting large game animals.
• Side scrapers: Side scrapers are flakes or blades with retouched edges along one or more margins, used for scraping hides, processing plant materials, or shaping wooden implements.
• Handaxes and bifaces: Handaxes and bifaces are large, symmetrical stone tools with flaked edges and a pointed or rounded tip. These versatile tools may have been used for cutting, chopping, or digging tasks.

2. Upper Paleolithic Stone Tools:
The Upper Paleolithic period, spanning approximately 40,000 to 10,000 years ago, is characterized by significant advancements in stone tool technology, artistic expression, and social complexity. Upper Paleolithic stone tool assemblages are associated with anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) and include a diverse array of specialized tool types adapted for various purposes.

Tool Types: Upper Paleolithic stone tools include:

• Blades and bladelets: Blades are elongated, parallel-sided flakes with sharp edges, produced by detaching long, narrow flakes from prepared cores using a technique called blade production. Bladelets are smaller versions of blades and were often used as insets for composite tools or as projectile points.
• Microliths: Microliths are small, geometrically shaped stone tools with finely retouched edges, often found in composite tool assemblages. Microliths were hafted onto wooden or bone shafts to create composite tools such as spears, arrows, and harpoons.
• Burins: Burins are specialized stone tools with a sharp, chisel-like edge formed by retouching a pointed flake or blade. Burins were used for engraving, carving, or incising bone, antler, ivory, or other materials.
• Backed blades: Backed blades are elongated flakes with a retouched edge along one margin and a naturally backed edge opposite the retouch. These tools were likely used as knives or cutting implements and exhibit distinctive retouch patterns on their backed edges.

Tool Making Techniques:
Stone tool making techniques employed during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic periods include:

• Core reduction: Core reduction involves the systematic removal of flakes or blades from a prepared core to produce desired tool forms. Techniques such as the Levallois method, blade production, and bladelet production were used to control the shape, size, and quality of stone tool blanks.
• Flake and blade retouch: Flake and blade retouching techniques involve modifying the edges of flakes or blades through percussion or pressure flaking to create sharp cutting edges, serrations, or specialized tool forms. Retouching techniques include direct percussion, pressure flaking, and grinding.
• Hafting: Hafting involves attaching stone tools to handles or shafts using adhesives, bindings, or natural bindings to create composite tools such as spears, arrows, and axes. Hafting allowed for increased leverage, control, and efficiency in tool use.

Conclusion:
The Middle and Upper Paleolithic periods represent critical stages in human technological and cultural evolution, marked by advancements in stone tool technology, tool diversity, and adaptive strategies. Middle Paleolithic stone tools exhibit a range of tool types adapted for hunting, butchery, and woodworking tasks, while Upper Paleolithic stone tools demonstrate innovations in blade production, microlithic technology, and composite tool manufacturing. By studying the morphology, distribution, and technological attributes of Middle and Upper Paleolithic stone tools, archaeologists gain insights into the behaviors, capabilities, and cultural adaptations of early human populations during these pivotal periods in prehistory.