Is the Soanian techno-complex a Mode 1 or Mode 3 phenomenon? A morphometric assessment

The Soanian is traditionally seen as one of the major (non-Acheulean) Palaeolithic techno-complexes of the Indian subcontinent. Over several decades comparisons of Soanian assemblages have been made with the non-bifacial industries of East Asia and north-west Europe. The chronological status and typo-technological relationship(s) of the Soanian to other Palaeolithic industries have been the subject of much debate. When first named and described the Soanian was considered to contain evidence of Mode 3 Levallois-style core reduction. However, in recent years, the potential Mode 3 component of the Soanian has largely been ignored, and the techno-complex is described under various guises as a core/flake or ‘Mode 1’ techno-complex. Here, a comparative morphometric assessment of selected Soanian cores and other Palaeolithic nuclei is undertaken, to test the hypothesis that this industry contains a definite Mode 3 Levallois element. Discriminant Function Analyses (DFA) of morphometric variables provide robust evidence that at least part of the Soanian techno-complex contains Mode 3 Levallois cores. The implications of these analyses for the relationship between the Soanian and the Acheulean, and the relevance of the Soanian in considerations of the Movius Line are also discussed.     

Soanian cores and core-tools from Toka,Northern India: Towards a new typo-technological organization

Since the initial ‘discovery’ and explanation of the Soanian industry by H. de Terra and T.T. Paterson in the 1930s, multiple interpretations have been offered by various investigators on its chronology, geographical distribution, relationship with the Acheulian, and technological progression. In most cases, the presence of explicit tool-types and the absence of Acheulian bifaces were the distinguishing features utilized to recognize the industry as well as delineate its technological development through time and space. However, in light of recent intra-regional geoarchaeological investigations and the analyses of a large surface assemblage by the author, the existing framework for Soanian typology is in need of judicious revision. In this paper, some of the methodological and interpretative problems are briefly discussed from a historical perspective and the technological organization of cores and core-based tools from Toka, a rich factory site, is described. Essentially, the Toka assemblage comprises a dynamic range of non-biface tool-types on quartzite, which possess varying patterns of core reduction techniques, edge retouch, and associated use-wear. The study also introduces a modified typological classification of specific chopper morphologies, which may be broadly applicable in global context.