The Balkan peninsula micromousterian: the history of study

Purpose: The issues related to the time of the Upper Paleolithic industries appearance, their genesis, further development and periodization are the most complex and topical at the current stage of Paleolithic studies. One of the Eurasia regions where the problem of the transition from the Middle to Upper Paleolithic has been developed less thoroughly is the territory of the Adriatic coast of the Balkan Peninsula. In this context we focus on the problem of allocating the Micromousterian in the Middle Paleolithic Final Stage that requires revision in view of recent data. This article provides an overview of the main Paleolithic complexes on the Balkan Adriatic coast that are associated with the Micromousterian. Results: The analysis of the Late Middle Paleolithic industries from the caves, rockshelters and open-air sites such as Asprochaliko, Kokkinopilos, Klissoura (Greece), Mujina Pechena (Croatia), Crvena Stijena, Bioche (Montenegro) revealed the main range of issues that arise when defining such a cultural phenomenon as Micromousterian. For example, one of the main markers in the allocation of the Micromousterian complexes often taken into account in most cases is the size of the lithic artifacts only, which leaves the differences in the basic technical and typological stone industries indicators in the shadow. Moreover, most sites are postulated as static in time, but in some cases it is contrary to the recent investigations (e.g., on the Bioche rockshelter in Montenegro). Thus, the most important question is whether the miniature character of the Mousterian industries reflects an individual adaptation option of the ancient population or it was the size of original raw materials that mattered. The views of scholars on this issue diverge. Some researchers relate the sizes of lithic artifacts with the quality and size of the raw material, while others talk about conscious microlithisation of the stone tools. Our collection of the sites examined suggests that the used splitting patterns were simple enough but clearly developed. They aimed at producing small flakes, most of which had a relatively thick cross section and often had a large number nodulated crust on the dorsal surface. Such configuration of the blanks is ideal for making massive scrapers and points that this form serves as basic for the toolset in the considered complexes. Conclusion: Clarification of the issues discussed will provide new data for the interpretation of human behavior options in the Mediterranean region during the period of the Final Mousterian. This period is particularly interesting and important because it that time coincides with the final stages of the Neanderthal population existing in Europe and the subsequent transition to the Upper Paleolithic. Further in-depth analysis of the archaeological material might help to shed a light on the issues of the intercultural interaction of anatomically different populations.