Revisiting the Lahchura pebble tool-complex in Uttar Pradesh, India: Technological insights and analysis

Abstract

The prehistoric site of Lahchura, located at the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, India has yielded a distinctive assemblage of pebble cores that offers valuable insights into post-Acheulean stone tool technology. This study analyses 134 pebble cores from a collection of 345 artefacts to understand the reduction sequences, flaking strategies, and technological trends. The remaining artefacts were examined to assess the composition and overall nature of the assemblage. In addition to metrical analysis, the study also focused on the qualitative features of the cores, revealing various strategies used to remove flakes. The pebble cores, predominantly made of quartzite and chert, exhibit unifacial flaking patterns, with most flakes removed from cortical platforms. Some cores show evidence of parallel end-flake removal, suggesting a technological shift toward end flake detachment, potentially serving as a precursor to microblade technology. The analysis reveals a lack of morphological shaping and symmetry in the cores, with flake scars indicating the removal of flakes primarily in the size range of 1–5 cm. Notably, differences in flaking techniques based on raw materials highlight both continuity in technological traits and possible innovations. The findings suggest that these cores reflect an adaptive strategy driven by the availability of local resources and the technological knowledge of hominin groups. Comparisons with similar artifacts from the Indian subcontinent and Southern China further underscore the regional and temporal significance of Lahchura's assemblage.This study proposes that the Lahchura pebble cores represent a possible episode in the stone tool technology, between Acheulean and microblade traditions.