Abstract The Spiti Valley is located in the Trans-Himalayan terrain of India, from where non-geometrical microliths have been discovered. While the Siwalik Hills have been subjected to extensive prehistoric surveys, this is the first evidence of lithic tools discovered in the Trans-Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh, India. Due to its topographical and intense climatic features, the Trans-Himalayan region has generally been regarded as a barrier since prehistoric times. However, Dzamathang cannot be considered as an isolated site in the Trans-Himalayas. In fact, in the adjoining areas of Ladakh, Tibet and Nepal, similar lithics have been reported from several sites and been assigned to the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. The discovery of this site suggests that the Trans-Himalayan zone may have acted as a possible route rather than a barrier during human migration. Large numbers of lithics have been recovered in the Dzamathang area of the Spiti Valley. Based on the collection of the artefacts from the surface, this paper tries to understand the geological and geographical setting of the area, particularly concerning prehistoric settlements in the Trans-Himalayas. This assemblage consists of assorted artefacts, which include a unifacial chopper, microlithic cores, flakes, blades, bladelets, burin and a large amount of debitage fragments. The majority of artefacts are on quartzite or quartzarenite. Future surveys will be targeted at recovering primary context sites for excavations and absolute dating.

Abstract The present introduction to Quaternary Geoarchaeology of India discusses the historical background of the research carried out in India in the field of the Quaternary Period. It talks about the specific contributions made by scholars on the subject of geoarchaeology in the recent past. This special volume consists of 19 chapters contributed by various scholars working in earth sciences and geoarchaeology fields. It is divided into three sections: (1) landscape geoarchaeology, (2) applications in geoarchaeology and (3) reviews. The volume aims to represent the recent advances in the field of Quaternary geoarchaeology in India, which is generally under-represented and is usually restricted from reaching a global scholarly audience.