ŝŗ Indian Lithic Technology Prior to the Toba Super-eruption Chapter 7 Indian Lithic Technology Prior to the ŝŚ,ŖŖŖ bp Toba Super-eruption: Searching for an Early Modern Human Signature South Asian genetic and geographic data have recently received increasing atention ǻKivisild et al. ŗşşşDz Field & Lahr ŘŖŖśDz Sun et al. ŘŖŖŜDz Endicot et al. ŘŖŖŝDz Field et al. ŘŖŖŝDz Atkinson et al. ŘŖŖŞDz Oppen- heimer ŘŖŖşǼ, and a dearth of hominin fossils prior to c. řŖ kyr bp precludes direct morphological analysis ǻStock et al. ŘŖŖŝǼ. However, the known Late Pleistocene archaeological record of this region has yet to be com- prehensively integrated into contemporary evolution- ary debates. To a certain extent, progress in this regard has been hindered by a lack of well-dated stratigraphi- cally secure sites, along with under-development of South Asia-centred frameworks into which indings may be incorporated ǻPetraglia ŘŖŖŝǼ. One potentially critical palaeoenvironmental event concentrated on South ǻand parts of SoutheastǼ Asia is the Sumatran Toba volcanic super-eruption of c. ŝŚ,ŖŖŖ years ago ǻe.g. Ninkovich et al. ŗşŝŞDz Westgate et al. ŗşşŞDz Jones ŘŖŖŝǼ. With ejecta known as the Youngest Toba Tuf ǻYTTǼ, this signiicant natural event has acted as a focal point for ongoing debates over population botlenecks and the potential inluence of a volcanic winter on the transition from Oxygen Isotope Stage ǻOISǼ ś to OIS-Ś, as well as discussions of the direct impact of Toba ash fall on resident hominin populations ǻe.g. Rampino & Self ŗşşřDz Ambrose ŗşşŞDz ŘŖŖřDz Oppenheimer ŘŖŖŘDz Gathorne-Hardy & Harcourt-Smith ŘŖŖřǼ. The occur- rence of the ash in terrestrial contexts also provides a convenient chronostratigraphic marker ǻAcharyya & Basu ŗşşřǼ, and consequently an opportunity for assessing if modern human populations were present in the Indian subcontinent at the time of the eruption. Here we present data on lithic technology from two sites in the Jurreru River Valley of Andhra The South Asian Middle Palaeolithic, or Middle Stone Age ǻMisra ŗşŞşDz Allchin & Allchin ŗşşŝǼ, is a largely techno-typological construct poorly constrained by chronometric data. As recently reviewed by James & Petraglia ǻŘŖŖśDz see also James ŘŖŖŝǼ, this phase is characterized by a geographically variable lake-based industry employing both prepared and unprepared cores, with limited use of retouch and widespread but non-ubiquitous diminutive bifaces. The prepared cores do not adhere to any one particular technique ǻalthough discoidal and Levallois reduction are the most commonǼ, and show a continuation from the previous Acheulian traditions ǻPetraglia et al. ŘŖŖřǼ. Evidence for the production of blades in low numbers, and in the absence of standardized unidirectional blade core technology, comes from sites such as Pat- para ǻBlumenschine et al. ŗşŞřǼ, Bhimbetka ǻMisra ŗşŞśǼ, Patne ǻJames ŘŖŖŝǼ, the Thar desert ǻAllchin et al. ŗşŝŞǼ and the Kortallayar Basin ǻPappu ŘŖŖŗǼ. The few available dates ǻmost importantly from the ŗŜR dune sequence in RajasthanDZ Misra ŗşşśǼ indicate that Middle Palaeolithic radial core and scraper technolo- gies extend back to perhaps ŗśŖ,ŖŖŖ years ago, and continue in part until at least řŞ kyr bp ǻPetraglia et al. ŘŖŖşaDz see also references in James & Petraglia ŘŖŖśǼ. Subsequently we see the chronologically variable introduction of technologies that depart from the Middle Palaeolithic, such as microliths and systematic production of blades with increasing use of crypto- crystalline materials, accompanied in some cases by ornaments ǻDeraniyagala ŗşşŘDz Sali ŗşŞşǼ and initial adoption of systematic backing technologies currently dated to c. řśȮřŖ kyr bp ǻClarkson et al. ŘŖŖşDz Petraglia et al. ŘŖŖşaǼ. Michael Haslam, Chris Clarkson, Michael Petraglia, Ravi Korisetar, Janardhana B., Nicole Boivin, Peter Ditchield, Sacha Jones & Alex Mackay