John wrote:
<<Interesting thought on the Zarzian connection, and the fact that the
spread of these cultures seems to spread along the Northern Iranian
area (Caspian Gates --> Khorasan --> Tadjikistan --> Ferghana) before
moving north into the Altai. It confirms for me the strenth and
imapssibility of the Caspian Aral desert. Do these cultures suggest
then a subsequent spread north onto the central asian steppe from the
East (as per Glen's Eurasiatic hypothesis) or a spread from the Pontic
Steppe across the Urals into Central Asia (as I suggested seemed to be
the case earlier)?>>
I don't think that the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts were absolutely
impassable. Just people who were used to the life in small mountain valleys
would not go there if they could find a place for expanding in the next
valley. Thus, in my opinion, people who reached Ferghana and needed to move
further because of increase of population weren't go neither northwards to
the steppe nor westwards to the semidesert. The most natural variant for
them would be to continue the movement north-eastwards along the Tien Shan
slopes. BTW, do you remember that microlithic cultures were found in NW
China as well?
As to the way from the Pontic Steppe across the Urals into Central Asia, I
don't know a well marked migration in this direction until the Bronze Age
(the Timber Grave and Andronovo cultures). On the other hand, the territory
of Kazakhstan is not well investigated archaeologically yet (especially in
respect of Mesolithic - Eneolithic).