Paleolithic Sites of the Northern Nurata Mountain Range

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the techno-typological study of Stone Age finds discovered in recent years in the northern part of the Nurata Mountain Range, on the southern slopes, in the areas of the villages of Pangat and Minishkor, belonging to the Qo‘shrabot district. The Nurata Mountains attracted the attention of early humans from the earliest Paleolithic period due to their favorable paleoecological conditions. Sites representing all stages of Paleolithic development have been identified in this area.The collected archaeological materials consist of stone tools crafted by ancient humans and have been divided into four complexes based on the technique of manufacture and degree of preservation. These artifacts were made from local flint-bearing limestone, sandstones, and slates.The first complex includes bifaces, choppers, cores, and Levallois flakes. These items are among the oldest materials found in Central Asia, identified as belonging to the Acheulean stone industry, and are relatively dated to approximately 500–400 thousand years ago. The second complex also contains bifaces and choppers, which are likewise attributed to the Acheulean industry and are dated to around 350–300 thousand years ago.The third and fourth complexes of artifacts found in this area are associated with the Late Paleolithic period. The Nurata Mountain regions are considered promising for the study of Stone Age monuments and their unique cultural characteristics.Based on the discovered stone tools, it can be inferred that the area was inhabited by representatives of the second migratory wave of Homo erectus, who entered from Africa.