Mahi Wala 1 (MW-1): a Mesolithic site in the Thal desert of Punjab (Pakistan)

The importance of the lithic assemblage from Mahi Wala 1 (Pakistan) is twofold. First of all, although it was collected from the surface, it testifies for the first time the presence of groups of early Holocene hunter-gatherers in the Thal Desert of Punjab. Second, that the raw materials exploited for making the MW-1 artefacts are undoubtedly different from those that wereemployed during the Indus Civilization period. They were most likely collected as pebbles/nodules from local/regional formations. The cortex preserved on some pieces does not show any trace of water-weathering due to fluvial transport. Therefore, we can exclude their provenance from a river alluvium source. In contrast, we suggest that they were collected from secondary deposits and debris. Moreover, both the raw materials and the different typological characteristics of the tools, would point to (probably two) episodes of knapping activity that took place in the area in different times.