Mousterian
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{{Stone Age}}
'''Mousterian''' is a name given by archaeologists to a style of predominantly [[flint tools]] (or [[archaeological industry|industry]]) associated primarily with ''[[Neanderthal|Homo neanderthalensis]]'' and dating to the [[Middle Paleolithic]], the middle part of the Old [[Stone Age]].
It was named after the [[type site]] of [[Le Moustier]], a rock shelter in the [[Dordogne]] region of [[France]].{{Fact|date=May 2008}} Similar flintwork has been found all over unglaciated [[Europe]] and also the [[Near East]] and [[North Africa]]. Handaxes, [[racloir]]s and [[Projectile point|points]] constitute the industry; sometimes a [[Levallois technique]] or another [[prepared-core technique]] was employed in making the flint flakes.
Mousterian tools that have been found in Europe were made by Neanderthals and date from between 300,000 BP and 30,000 [[Before Present|BP]]. In Northern Africa and the [[Near East]] they were also produced by anatomically modern humans. In the [[Levant]] for example, assemblages produced by Neanderthals are indistinguishable from those produced by modern humans.<ref>Shea, J. J., 2003: Neandertals [sic], competition and the origin of modern human behaviour in the Levant, ''Evolutionary Anthropology'', 12:173-187.</ref>
Mousterian technology is [[evolution]]arily significant because it partially replaced the function of the [[incisor]] teeth, leading to a reduction of robustness of some of the facial features.{{Fact|date=February 2008}}
Several Mousterian variants are known:
* [[Denticulate Mousterian]]
* [[Ferrassie Mousterian]]
* [[Mousterian of Acheulean Tradition (MTA)]]
* [[Quina Mousterian]]
* [[Typical Mousterian]]
==See also==
*[[Cro-Magnon interaction with Neanderthals]]
*[[Synoptic table of the principal old world prehistoric cultures]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://worldmuseumofman.org/mousterianeuropeanartifacts1.htm Mousterian Neanderthal Stone Tools]
* [http://www.geocities.com/veldwezelt_2002/index.html geocities.com] — The Neanderthal Sites at [[Veldwezelt-Hezerwater]], [[Belgium]]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/13/science/14neanderthal.html?ex=1315800000&en=ca90a9bfe57071f2&ei=5089 Neanderthals’ Last Stand Is Traced] — [[New York Times]] article (Published: September 13, 2006)
[[Category:Archaeological cultures]]
[[Category:European archaeology]]
[[Category:Paleolithic]]
[[Category:Lithics]]
[[ca:Mosterià]]
[[cs:Moustérien]]
[[de:Moustérien]]
[[es:Musteriense]]
[[eo:Musterio]]
[[fr:Moustérien]]
[[gl:Musteriense]]
[[it:Musteriano]]
[[he:התרבות המוסטרית]]
[[nl:Moustérien]]
[[oc:Mosterian]]
[[pl:Kultura mustierska]]
[[pt:Musteriense]]
[[sv:Moustérienkulturen]]
[[uk:Мустьєрська культура]]