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 The earliest occurrence of microliths in South Asia dates back to the Late Pleistocene at Mehtakheri (45 ka) and Dhaba (48 ka) in Central India, Jwalapuram 9 in Southern India (38 ka), Kana and Mahadebbara in Northeastern India (42–25 ka) and Batadomba-Lena (35–36 ka) and Fa Hien Lena (48 ka) in Sri Lanka. Microlithic technology is distributed across the entire Indian Subcontinent and chronologically continues up to the Iron Age and Early Historic periods. This chapter discusses new data acquired from the first author's doctoral research in the two districts of Madhya Pradesh (Hoshangabad – now renamed Narmadapuram – and Sehore), which fall within the central part of the Narmada Basin in central India. We present here preliminary dates from key areas of distribution to understand the geochronological contexts of microliths at Pilikarar, Morpani and Gurla-Sukkarwada. Initial dates from these respective occurrences range between 14 ka and 3 ka.

Abstract An understanding of long-term climate variability may provide a valuable perspective on the possible response of human societies to modern climate change. The present study, based on geochemical and sedimentological analyses on well dated (using AMS 14 C and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates) alluvial sediments from Sina River basin (in Maharashtra, central India), provides a detailed understanding of the complex interplay between climate and cultural dynamics during the Late Holocene. The radiocarbon dates of the organic residues from the potsherds represent the Medieval period ( c. 1.6–0.95 cal ka BP), whereas the OSL sample shows an age of c. 7.5 ± 0.4 ka. Further, several cultural objects (e.g. potsherds, shell bangles, and copper artefacts) available at the site were also investigated in order to understand the extent of human activity in the region. The temporal changes in the proxies along with the abundance of cultural materials in the fluvial section during the Medieval period suggest that the human population attempted to adapt against the fluctuating climate conditions. The regional comparison of geo-archaeological datasets shows that the pronounced weakening of the monsoonal rainfall during the Late Holocene coincides with the disruption, migration and resettlement of indigenous societies, deciphering the possible impact of climate on human settlement.

ABSTRACT An ~10-m-thick sequence of Quaternary eolian sands from the island of Vis (Croatia) was investigated with the aim to unravel and understand their origin, characteristics, and age. The sand deposit is situated in a karstic depression in the eastern part of the island at an altitude of ~100 m above sea level (a.s.l.), and it is composed of a subhorizontally laminated unit at the bottom underlying a cross-bedded unit. The sand is very well sorted and fine grained and composed predominantly of carbonate lithic fragments, which most likely originated from the Dinaric karst region. The siliciclastic component of these sands reflects a more complex lithological source, including older sedimentary (e.g., flysch successions in the area, as well as older Quaternary deposits), magmatic, and metamorphic rocks probably originating from the Inner Dinarides, which were eroded and comminuted by glacial and periglacial activity during the last glacial period, and transported toward the Adriatic foreland by major rivers such as the Cetina and Neretva. Grain size and shape characteristics of the sands as well as their sedimentary structure indicate their eolian origin. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was applied to determine the depositional age of the sediment. The obtained ages can be correlated to the Last Glacial Maximum (oxygen isotope stage [OIS] 2), implying that during the peak of that glaciation, the central Adriatic basin was dry land, a vast plain exposed to eolian deflation.