Abstract The Lower Son Valley is generally overlooked despite a lengthy history of archaeological and geological studies in the adjacent Middle Son Valley. However, recent explorations in the former have yielded a large number of Palaeolithic and microlithic sites. This paper provides an initial report on Doma, a newly discovered site with the first-known stratified bifaces in this part of the valley. The site preserves multi-period technologies in different contexts, including terminal Acheulean/early Middle Palaeolithic and Upper Palaeolithic (all tentatively assigned based on respective typologies). Preliminary field observations are presented on the sedimentary sequence, archaeological surveys, topographical mapping, raw material and the overall palaeoanthropological assessment of Doma. The raw material utilized at the site is primarily porcellanite, derived from exposures of the Semri Group of the Vindhyan Supergroup. The oldest Palaeolithic evidence at Doma broadly resembles Late Acheulean sites dated to c. 140–120 ka in the nearby Middle Son Valley. The Pleistocene sediments here also yielded mammalian fossil specimens, such as long bone fragments, dental specimens and antler fragments. Along with the lithics and fossils, the site also preserves datable sedimentary sequences with calcrete, all key proxies in developing a testable model of technological transitions within a palaeoenvironmental framework, in the future.

Abstract New evidence from the Ayodhya Hills, located in the western upland of West Bengal, has expanded knowledge of Late Pleistocene microlithic technology spanning 42–25 ka in South Asia. Continuous exploration for the past two decades has resulted in substantial information on technology, distribution of sites and the colluvial context. It is now clear from surface exploration and excavations that there are localized differences in the formation of the colluvial context. At the Mahadebbera and Kana sites, which have yielded optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates, the in situ occurrence of artefacts in the excavated sections confirm their association with the colluvial context. The occurrence of microliths for a prolonged period (25–34 ka) at Mahadebbera indicates that the colluvial deposition must have followed a slower rate during the course of occupation at the site. At Khududih-Chauniya, a site currently being investigated, excavation and surface exploration indicate that the artefacts are mostly scattered over the regolith surface capping the bedrock; much of the colluvial material from the site has been eroded and transported downslope, exposing the lithic artefacts over the regolithic badland surface. Added interest in this site ensues from recent finds of Middle Paleolithic cores and a Lower Paleolithic core from the badland rain gullies. This promises to complement the already published results from the region, which has emerged as an important zone in understanding the behaviour patterns of anatomically modern humans in South Asia.

Abstract Rivers and river-borne deposits have always been a major attraction for hominins as an important source of sustenance and settlements. Hence, fluvial deposits have long been an important source of evidence for early human occupation throughout the Old World. Apart from being an important palaeoclimatic marker, fluvial sequences have provided archaeologists with frameworks for correlation, along with Palaeolithic markers discovered within them. Moreover, given the influx of sediments eroded and deposited by Indian rivers, these could have acted as a centre of hominin activities. Palaeolithic research in India has been concentrated around some of its major river valleys, which have yielded a rich record of hominin occupation. So far, 305 Palaeolithic sites have been reported from a gravel context throughout the country, yielding Lower to Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic evidence. However, most of the derived evidence is secondary deposits and stands contested based on its contextuality. Nevertheless, its importance as a source of information about hominin activity cannot be underestimated. This review presents a provisional synthesis of all of the Indian Palaeolithic sites reported from gravel contexts, thereby presenting scope for future multidisciplinary research at these localities.