Early India and Pakistan to Ashoka c6.s3.14

c6.s3.14

At Vadamadurai Tank, north-west of Madras, the Boulder Conglomerate at the base of this sequence produced handaxes and cores of the first group, which, on grounds of typology and patination, falls in turn into an earlier and a later series. The earlier series includes very crude Abbevillian handaxes with thick pebble butts and much remaining cortex; the flaking denotes a 'stone' technique producing large irregular flake scars. The cores belonging to this series were large, also with rough irregular flaking. Both handaxes and cores bore a very deep whitish crust. The later series is less heavily patinated and is typologically more advanced. It is marked by handaxes of Early Acheulian type, showing the beginnings of a step-flaking technique, though large free flaking is still commonly used. The cores are mostly discoidal, with fairly regular alternate flaking.