Microliths, Landscapes and Niche Construction:A Case Study of Late Pleistocene Microlithic Technology in Purulia, West Bengal
Keywords:
Microlithic technology; Mahadebbera; Kana; Purulia; Late Pleistocene; technological organisation; chaîne opératoire; niche construction; Bengal prehistoryAbstract
This paper examines Late Pleistocene microlithic technology in Purulia District, West Bengal, through a focused case study of the sites of Mahadebbera and Kana. These sites, dated between roughly 42,000 and 25,000 years ago, are among the earliest securely dated microlithic assemblages in South Asia and are crucial for understanding early modern human adaptation in eastern India. Using published typo-technological data, core and blank analysis, and a reconstructed chaîne opératoire, the study explores how blade and bladelet technologies were organised, how raw materials were selected and reduced, and how retouched microliths were shaped and used. The technological patterns are read against the lateritic upland landscape, local geology and inferred palaeo-environmental conditions, highlighting the importance of ecotonal locations near water and raw material sources. The results point to a mixed strategy of curated and expedient elements within flexible, portable toolkits adapted to seasonally variable environments. Interpreted through the lens of cultural niche construction, the repeated occupation of these sites is seen as part of a long-term process of landscape learning and subtle ecological modification. The paper argues that Purulia’s microlithic record forms an important early chapter in the technological history of Bengal.
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