Typological context of the Lower Palaeolithic lithics from Daraki-Chattan Cave, India

In addition to housing some of the oldest known rock art in the world, Daraki-Chattan is also an important Palaeolithic site because it is one of the very few Indian locations where Mode 1 (pre- Acheulian) occupation evidence has been excavated in a stratified context. Overlain by a typical Acheulian with hand-axes, this deposit has yielded very simple, Oldowan-like stone artefacts made mostly of the local quartzite. Here we provide a brief description of these tools, including several hammerstones that are presumed to have been used in the creation of some of the numerous cupules on the cave walls. We consider not only the typology of this assemblage, but also place it within the context of the Lower Palaeolithic of India.