Later Pleistocene Cumulation: Raw Material Procurement Strategies at Mehtakheri, India

Chaîne opératoire has proven to be a valuable methodology in the study of lithic analysis. At the initial stage of the chaîne opératoire system, understanding raw material procurement strategies is crucial. The primary objective of this paper is to examine the raw material procurement strategies employed by modern humans at Mehtakheri during MIS3. The lithic assemblage studied for the present research was excavated in 2017 from Mehtakheri in central India. The archaeological horizon of Mehtakheri, under study, is exclusively represented by microblade technology. This paper presents results of the qualitative analysis done on the entire lithic assemblage. It specifically focuses on the raw material procurement strategies and highlights a method that can be employed on any lithic assemblage during the preliminary examination. Results indicate that recording the level of abrasion on the cortex can give an insightful understanding and assessment of the source and choice of raw material for tool manufacturing. This research puts forward an easy-to-apply and less time-consuming methodology for analyzing lithics, with special focus on gaining insight into the raw material procurement strategies.