Sitios paleolíticos en la periferia del Valle Medio del Son, Meseta Vindhyan septentrional, India central: una investigación preliminar
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2218/jls.9684Resumen
En el sur de Asia, el norte del Altiplano Vindhya, en el centro de la India, conserva un rico registro paleolítico proveniente tanto de los llanos aluviales como de la cordillera de Kaimur. El Valle Medio del Son (MSV), una de las cuencas fluviales clave de esta región, ha sido ampliamente estudiado por diversos académicos e instituciones, proporcionando un registro significativo de sitios paleolíticos junto con fósiles de vertebrados provenientes de sedimentos aluviales datados y estratificados. Sin embargo, se sabe relativamente poco sobre la naturaleza de los restos paleolíticos en los afluentes, las cuencas fluviales vecinas y las zonas de estribaciones de la cordillera de Kaimur dentro de las áreas periféricas del MSV.
Esta investigación aborda esta laguna mediante exploraciones arqueológicas sistemáticas realizadas entre 2012 y 2025 en las regiones vecinas del MSV. El trabajo de campo incluyó encuestas estructuradas, documentación de conjuntos líticos y análisis de sus contextos geomorfológicos. Se documentaron un total de 787 artefactos líticos provenientes de sitios superficiales y localidades estratificadas, recolectados en exposiciones sedimentarias y contextos superficiales seleccionados.
Las investigaciones condujeron al descubrimiento de varios sitios paleolíticos nuevos, refugios rocosos pintados prehistóricos y conjuntos arqueológicos relacionados en la cordillera de Kaimur y sus estribaciones, así como en las cuencas fluviales adyacentes, frecuentemente conservados en depósitos bien estratificados. Las zonas de estribaciones proporcionaron conjuntos achelenses dominados por bifaces (cleavers), los cuales constituyen una evidencia significativa de la ocupación, junto con artefactos atribuibles al Paleolítico Superior o Mesolítico, la mayoría recuperados de contextos superficiales.
Además, se documentaron cientos de refugios rocosos pintados en la cordillera de Kaimur, asociados con conjuntos del Paleolítico Superior o Mesolítico y otros restos arqueológicos. En las cuencas fluviales vecinas, como Rihand, Mayar, Tons, Gopad, Ken y Choti Mahanadi, se registraron numerosos artefactos del Paleolítico Inferior, Medio y Superior o Mesolítico, junto con fósiles de vertebrados provenientes de capas estratificadas.
Estos hallazgos demuestran que las zonas periféricas del MSV constituyen un paisaje arqueológico significativo y reflejan la ocupación recurrente de homínidos. Los resultados sugieren además que la cuenca Vindhya proporcionó un entorno ecológico favorable para la ocupación y adaptación paleolítica sostenida, ofreciendo nuevas perspectivas sobre la distribución y los patrones de comportamiento de las poblaciones prehistóricas en la región más amplia del Valle Medio del Son.
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