The lower Palaeolithic age was of a long duration but the middle Palaeolithic, the transitional cultural phase, was very short. In many other regions of the world this could be identified as an independent cultural phase as late as 1960s. Even in Europe,at many places, it could not be distinguished on the basis of a different cultural material but some heterogeneity’in the material here and there.The earliest evidences of it’s emergence were found at as it called LaMicoque in France. Here it’s age has been determined at around the closing of the third glacial period Riss which occurred around one lakh twenty thousand years ago whileat other places it emerged as late as about eighty thousand years ago during the closing phase of the last inter glacial.
The middle Palaeolithic, conventionally speaking, is known as Mousterian deriving it’s name from a place called La Moustier in France. Since a number of fossil remains of Neanderthal Man has been found with the cultural material of the mousterian,neanderthal race that evolved from Homo erectus is credited to have authored this cultural phase. In terms of tool typology mousterian culture is characterised by a preponderance of flake tools. Although even before the mousterians, people of cromerian, clactonian and levelloisian cultures were also making flaketools but the mousterians were definitely much more advanced in technology and more innovative on flakes. Moreover, flake tools were their characteristic tools.The earliest mousterian flakes resembled those of levelloisian. They also made pear shaped handaxes, though smaller in size than the Chellean-Acheulian. However, later on they completely switched over to scraper of different types. It was the characteristic tool of the mousterians. Side scrapers have been found in largest number from different sites although points, discs, knife blades and levelloisian flakes have also been recovered. However, in Italy the middle Palaeolithic culture is predominantly based on pebbles.
True mousterian industries occur rarely in open because the climate was becoming very cold. Naturally, the mousterians preferred to live in rock shelters and caves wherever available. Arctic reindeer abounded and the mousterian tool makers were trying to perfect their techniques to hunt them as easily and efficiently as possible.
Many mousterian flakes have been found in triangular form and levelled efficiently on sides.The usual technique was to first prepare a striking platform on the flint and then remove the flake from that place. The mousterians also used the bones of the hunted animals and made pointed javeline tool and implements out of them. Such javelines/spears have been found from Spain and France. Several mousterian sites have been found in West Germany, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Italy and West Asia.
On the basis of tool types and their characteristics mousterian culture can be divided into three stages.
- (a) Lower Mousterian Culture
- (b) Middle Mousterian Culture
- (c) Upper Mousterian Culture
Tools from the lower mousteria nculture demonstrates a distinct lievelloisian influence and heart shaped (cordiform) coup-de-poing (hand axes) have been found in substantial numbers. By the middle mousterian the levelloisan like tools virtually disappear from the industries and there is abundance of side scrapers and, in smaller numbers, of points, discs, etc. By the upper mousterian phase the tools showed a definite tendency of being much smaller and dominated absolutely by small side scrapers and points. La Quina may be cited as the characteristic site of such an upper mousterian assemblage.
It is important to note that the middle Palaeolithic culture in Europe is not a uniform cultural phase. Rather, it developed different regional forms and traditions and even their periods varied. It is just out of convenience and to present & simple description that all these forms have been grouped under the common heading of middle Palaeolithic.
Another important cultural feature of the middle Palaeolithic period is the presence of their belief in super-natural and some rituals or rites to propitiate such powers.In a number of cave sites of this period cave bear skulls have been found in definite arrangements.This is still an enigma but it definitely indicates the presence of some cult.Further,in another cave site called Shanider in Iraq the presence of flowers have been established on the basis of the analysis of wild flower pollens. These could not have reached such interiors of the caves through wind activity. The point that this place was not used for habitation lends credence to the fact that the neanderthal man,perhaps, was trying to express his emotions through flower, indicating towards some ritual or cult. People of middle Palaeolithic had large brains, they buried their deceased and, sometimes, used to put their tools and implements with the dead body in the grave. Palaentologists are of the view that during the last glacial the neanderthal man had become extinct and their place was taken by the authors of the Aurignacian culture, the direct ancestors of Homo Sapiens.