TRUNCATED-FACETED PIECES IN THE PALEOLITHIC OF NORTHERN ASIA

Truncated-faceted pieces have been reported from many Paleolithic industries of Eurasia and Africa. In the latest decade, this category of artifacts has also been identified as belonging to the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transitional and Early Upper Paleolithic industries of Northern Asia. The largest collection of such pieces in this region is associated with the Obi-Rakhmatian, primarily of the Paleolithic industry of the Obi-Rakhmat Grotto, Uzbekistan. A detailed analysis of Obi-Rakhmatian truncated-faceted pieces shows that despite unified morphometric characteristics, they could differ in function. A comparison of these pieces with similar artifacts from nearby areas reveals their importance as a cultural and chronological marker of the terminal Middle Paleolithic and early Upper Paleolithic industries in Northern Asia.