Culture · Middle Palaeolithic
Mousterian
300000–40000 BCE, Europe — Western & Central
The Mousterian is the Middle Palaeolithic tool tradition associated with Neanderthals in Europe and the Near East, and with early modern humans in the Levant, from about 300,000 to 40,000 years ago. It is named after Le Moustier in the Dordogne and is characterised by prepared-core Levallois technology and a range of scrapers and points. Collectors hold Levallois points and flakes, side scrapers, small handaxes and cores, largely from French and British sites and from the Sahara.
| Dates | 300000–40000 BCE |
|---|---|
| Period | Middle Palaeolithic |
| Region | Europe — Western & Central |
| Areas | Europe, Near East, North Africa |
| Typical objects | Scraper, Projectile point, Core, Handaxe |
| Typical materials | Flint, Quartzite |
Identification
Mousterian tools are flake-based: side scrapers with continuous retouch, Levallois points and flakes with faceted platforms and centripetal dorsal scars, notched and denticulate pieces and, in the Mousterian of Acheulean Tradition, small cordiform handaxes. Discoidal and Levallois cores are common. Patina ranges from white on flint from chalk to deep brown on gravel pieces.
Legality
Rules are the same as for other European Palaeolithic material: private-land finds are legal in Britain and recorded with the PAS, while France, Spain and Italy claim state ownership and control export. Levantine and North African material is subject to source-country patrimony law.
Reproductions and fakes
Levallois points are simple to replicate and are sold aged with stains and light tumbling. Genuine pieces show patina in the flake scars that is as developed as on the surfaces, edge damage from sediment movement and, often, a whitish cortex. Fresh scars with a glassy lustre indicate modern retouch.
Elsewhere
- Wikidata: Q259118
- Wikipedia: Mousterian
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Mousterian" (Culture). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/cultures/mousterian. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-mousterian,
title = {Mousterian},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/cultures/mousterian}},
year = {2026},
note = {Culture article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.