Mousterian

or Mous·tie·ri·an

[ moo-steer-ee-uhn ]

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

/ 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

/ 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mousterian¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mousterian¹

C20: from French Moustérien from archaeological finds of the same period in the cave of Le Moustier, Dordogne, France

Example Sentences

The stone tools from Le Moustier -- used by Neanderthals during the Middle Palaeolithic period of the Mousterian between 120,000 and 40,000 years ago -- are kept in the collection of Berlin's Museum of Prehistory and Early History and had not previously been examined in detail.

From Science Daily

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

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

Layer E’s stone tools back up the tooth’s identification, Slimak says: They are smaller, more precisely made, and more standardized than the tools from the layers bearing Neanderthal teeth, which resemble Neanderthals’ characteristic Mousterian tools.

From Science Magazine

Neanderthals came first, more than 50,000 years ago, and left their characteristic Mousterian stone tools among the stalagmites.

From Science Magazine