Skip to main content

ETHNOS_APP

Home • Search • Journals • List 0

Middle Pleistocene occupations at Chhajoli, Rajasthan, India

Bibliographic Data

ID19228732
AuthorsJ Blinkhorn (0000-0002-9399-5515, University of Liverpool, corresponding author), H Achyuthan (Anna University, Chennai), P Ajithprasad (Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar), D Anil (Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar), P Kumar (0000-0003-3653-8163), P Arun Kumar (Zoological Survey of India), S J Armitage (Royal Holloway University of London)
Year2026
Volume4
Issue2
Pages100104-100104
Publication date2026-04-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQuaternary Environments and Humans (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2950-2365 • E-ISSN: 2950-2365
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.qeh.2026.100104
OpenAlexW7154848799
LanguageEN
References cited29

Western India marks a critical biogeographic threshold, making it an important region to explore patterns of hominin occupation and adaptation in the Pleistocene. Focus on exploring evidence for hominin expansions across this threshold have drawn interest to the Late Pleistocene, whereas despite a broad Lower Palaeolithic record, earlier occupations are sparse, notably the Late Acheulean occupation at Singi Talav, as well as sparse presence at 16 R Dune. Here, we report evidence for Middle Pleistocene occupations at Chhajoli, Nagaur District, Rajasthan. We constrain the age of deposition at this site between 269 and 78 thousand years ago using luminescence dating of feldspars and characterise the nature of stone tool technologies present based on lithics collected from stratified deposits, highlighting the presence of bifacial hierarchical cores, blade technology and bifaces. We place these findings in the context of current debate surrounding the appearance of Levallois technologies in the South Asian record, highlighting the importance of frequently encountered but rarely described ‘prepared’ cores

Acheulean · Context (archaeology) · Lithic technology · Middle Paleolithic · Middle Stone Age · Pleistocene · Stone tool · Evolution and Paleontology Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Primate Behavior and Ecology

  • Late Acheulean hominins at the Marine Isotope Stage 6/5e transition in north-central India

    Open Access•M Haslam, Richard G Roberts et al.•Quaternary Research•2011

  • Palaeoenvironmental dynamics and Palaeolithic occupation at Katoati, Thar Desert, India

    Open Access•J Blinkhorn, Hema Achyuthan et al.•Quaternary Research•2017

  • Morphological and Genetic Sequences of Carbonate Accumulation in Desert Soils

    L H GILE, F F PETERSON et al.•Soil Science•1966

  • Genetic and archaeological perspectives on the initial modern human colonization of southern Asia

    Open Access•Paul Mellars, Kevin C Gori et al.•Proceedings of the National…•2013

  • Early Middle Palaeolithic culture in India around 385–172 ka reframes Out of Africa models

    Open Access•Kumar Akhilesh, Akhilesh Kumar et al.•Nature•2018

  • Going East

    Open Access•Paul Mellars•Science•2006

  • Early Pleistocene Presence of Acheulian Hominins in South India

    Open Access•Shanti Pappu, Yanni Gunnell et al.•Science•2011

  • Measuring behavioural and cognitive complexity in lithic technology throughout human evolution

    Open Access•Antoine Muller, Chris Clarkson et al.•Journal of Anthropological…•2017

  • Lithic Modes A–I

    Open Access•J J Shea•Journal of Archaeological Method…•2012

  • Le débitage discoïde et le débitage Levallois récurrent centripède

    Eric Boëda•Bulletin de la Société…•1993

  • Late Middle Palaeolithic surface sites occurring on dated sediment formations in the Thar Desert

    Open Access•J Blinkhorn•Quaternary International•2014

  • A new synthesis of evidence for the Upper Pleistocene occupation of 16R Dune and its southern Asian context

    Open Access•J Blinkhorn•Quaternary International•2013

  • Buddha Pushkar revisited

    Open Access•J Blinkhorn•Journal of Archaeological Science…•2018

  • Predetermined Refinement

    Open Access•Ceri Shipton•Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology•2022

  • Levallois Lithic Technology from the Kapthurin Formation, Kenya

    Open Access•Christian Tryon, Christian A Tryon et al.•African Archaeological Review•2006

  • Lower Palaeolithic Core Technology and the Origins of the Levallois Method in North‐Western Europe

    Mark White, Nick Ashton•Current Anthropology•2003

  • Hierarchical Organization in the Acheulean to Middle Palaeolithic Transition at Bhimbetka, India

    Open Access•Ceri Shipton•Cambridge Archaeological Journal•2016

  • Generativity, hierarchical action and recursion in the technology of the Acheulean to Middle Palaeolithic transition

    Open Access•Ceri Shipton, C Clarkson et al.•Journal of Human Evolution•2013

  • Environments and Cultural Change in the Indian Subcontinent

    J Blinkhorn, Michael D Petraglia•Current Anthropology•2017

Citation velocityhistorical
Highly citedNo
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae