Lithic Industry from Barikot: Trenches BKG 11 and 121*

Abstract

The archaeological site of Bir-kot-ghwaṇḍai on the Swat River, near the present settlement of Barikot in the Pakistan province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is a major excavation project led by the Italian Archaeological Mission since 1978. This study presents a collection of lithic tools from trenches BKG 11 and 12 (2011-2020), focusing on their adaptation to locally available lithic resources. The analysis highlights strategic tool usage and tries to discuss the ‘archaic’ technological traits in lithic production, contextualizing these findings within the broader and somehow still fuzzy picture of the early regional lithic industries.