Elongated Retouched Points from the Middle Paleolithic Complexes of Obi-Rakhmat Grotto: Morphology and Cultural Attribution

This article discusses the technological and morphological variability of stone points from the Obi-Rakhmat variant of the Middle Paleolithic in Central Asia. Special attention is given to the category of convergent tools, as sets of elongated retouched points often serve as markers in the context of Middle Paleolithic laminar industries, which are typically associated with early manifestations of anatomically modern humans. The study of their morphological and technological variability is therefore crucial for the cultural interpretation of these Middle Paleolithic laminar industries. The earliest laminar industry in the Middle Paleolithic of the eastern part of Central Asia is associated with the Obi-Rakhmat Grotto and the Obi-Rakhmat industrial variant, which is characterized by a combination of developed Levallois and laminar flaking technologies. These complexes have numerous parallels with the Middle Paleolithic laminar industries of the Middle East. An important feature of these industries is the presence of diverse retouched points and a significant proportion of elongated pointed flakes among the tool blanks. The study of the retouched points from ObiRakhmat Grotto has demonstrated that the assemblage contains all major point types distinguished in the Early Middle Paleolithic of the Levant. Moreover, a similarity was recorded in the production of these tools along with similar metric parameters within separate typological categories. In addition to similarities, the studied collection has its own features associated with advanced small laminar flaking which is nearly absent from the Levant complexes. In addition to elongated retouched points, Obi-Rakhmat demonstrates shortened forms also produced on laminar blanks, although of a smaller size, which correspond to the Levantine types in terms of the production method. The study herein provides us with new information about the tool production processes in the Obi-Rakhmat tradition and sheds some light on possible cultural/technological connections with the complexes of adjacent and distant territories.

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