Mousterian

American  

[moo-steer-ee-uhn] / muˈstɪər i ən /

Or Moustierian

adjective

Anthropology.

1. of or relating to a Middle Paleolithic culture of Neanderthal man dating to the early upper Pleistocene Epoch (c100,000–40,000 b.c.) and consisting of five or more stone-artifact traditions in Europe whose characteristic tools are side scrapers and points.

2. pertaining to Paleolithic human relics having the workmanship, finish, and character of the flint scrapers found in the sands of Moustier, France.

---

Mousterian British  

/ muːˈstɪərɪən /

noun

1. a culture characterized by flint flake tools and associated with Neanderthal man, found throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Near East, dating from before 70 000–32 000 _bc

---

adjective

1. of or relating to this culture

Mousterian Scientific  

/ mo̅o̅-stîr′ē-ən /

1. Relating to a Middle Paleolithic tool culture that succeeded the Acheulian, ending around 35,000 years ago and traditionally associated with Neanderthals. While Mousterian tools show improvements in stone-flaking techniques over Acheulian tools, they remain largely unchanged over long periods of time and show little of the rapid innovation and specialization that characterize tool cultures of the Upper Paleolithic associated with modern humans.

---

Etymology

Origin of Mousterian

1885–90; < French moust ( i ) érien; -ian

Example Sentences

Among the most significant finds include Levallois-style flake tools, sophisticated implements linked to the Middle Paleolithic Mousterian tradition -- these are often associated with Neanderthals and early Homosapiens.

From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2025

He also found scrapers and other retouched pieces known as Mousterian stone artifacts that suggested the cave had been used by Neanderthals.

From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2023

Additionally, they found that some of the stone tools in the cave were Mousterian, a Middle Paleolithic culture that is known for its skillfully crafted flake tools.

From Salon • Jun. 27, 2023

The reign of the Neanderthals from about 400,000 to 40,000 years ago, in contrast, is marked by less refined Mousterian tools.

From Science Magazine • May 11, 2020

As a matter of fact, the coup-de-poing is frequent in the earliest Mousterian sites; so that we cannot but ask ourselves how it came to be in the end superseded.

From Progress and History by Marvin, Francis Sydney