Since the stone tool assemblages identified at the site of
Le Moustier in France at the end of the 19th century were
given their name, Neanderthals have often been identified
as ‘Mousterian man’. From the beginning of the 20th century
until roughly its final quarter, cultural classifications
were based primarily on typological features of lithic assemblages,
determined by studying the shape of the artefacts
and specific characteristics of retouch. This approach
was based on the ‘index fossil’ concept borrowed from the
natural sciences, such that each cultural context was clearly
identifiable due to the presence of a distinct retouched
tool or set of tools
