Asie centrale : pour une redéfinition des complexes culturels de la fin du Pléistocène et du début de l’Holocène.

International audienceThe Mesolithic of Central Asia (republics of Kazakhstan, Kirghizistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenia and Tajikistan) has been known in the soviet scientific literature since the 1930's. There are two points of view on the origin of the Mesolithic in this area. The first (V.A. Ranov et A.V. Vinogradov) links it to a migration of groups from the Near East, who were in possession of the "backed blade technique ". At the same time, in Central Asia, other groups called "epipalaeolithic "(without geometries) would have continued the cultural tradition of the Upper Palaeolithic. The second point of view (a great number of researchers and particularly P.M. Dolukhanov) emphasizes environmental change at the beginning of the Holocene. An examination of these two arguments leads to their reconsideration. Critical review and comprehensive study of the archaeological data and technological analysis oflithic industries and pottery from various areas in Central Asia, from the "Epipaleolithic" to the "Neolithic", suggest a new thesis. This thesis tries to show and explain the complexity of the Mesolithic phenomenon. We have identified new cultural traditions dating from 11th/10th millennium which are radically different from those of the local Upper Palaeolithic. Their characteristics are an increasing production of bladelets and microblades, using pressure and indirect percussion techniques, and the appearance of geometries. The origin of these new traditions is either local (with some technical elements borrowed from the Far East or even from Iran) or related to cultures of Russia and Caucasus. From the 6th millennium, when the first neolithic producing societies appear, several phenomena are obvious : some mesolithic sites disappear while others remain, some neolithic societies develop from the local mesolithic culture and many new sites appear. New sites are neolithic in some elements of their material culture (mainly adopted from the neolithic "culture of Kel 'teminar") but mesolithic in their economy which remains based on predation