Middle Paleolithic bone industry in Central Asia, first evidence from Obi-Rakhmat Grotto (Uzbekistan)

Abstract

The use of bone tools in contexts predating the Upper Paleolithic of Homo sapiens in Eurasia is no longer subject to debate. However, the recent evidence highlighting significant Neanderthal bone industries demonstrates that this phenomenon has been largely underestimated. A re-evaluation of each assemblage through a systematic search for bone artifacts is now a necessary prerequisite for accurately assessing the nature and variability of bone production over time and across past humanities. Such an approach should precede any attempt at a broader understanding of the mechanisms underlying their emergence and development. With this in mind, we initiated an investigation in Central Asia, a key region for Middle Paleolithic human settlements, where the potential for bone artifacts has remained weakly tested until now. Here, we present the preliminary results from Obi-Rakhmat (Uzbekistan). Dated to 90–40 ka BP, it is one of the few multilayered sites in the region to have yielded human remains. The original composition of the set of bone artifacts, which reflects that of the lithic assemblage, confirms our expectations and opens new avenues for research on this emerging topic.