The Mousterian (or Mode III) is an archaeological industry of stone tools, associated primarily with the Neanderthals in Europe, and to the earliest anatomically modern humans in North Africa and West Asia.

The culture was named after the type site of Le Moustier, three superimposed rock shelters in the Dordogne region of France.

[6] Some assemblages, namely those from Pech de l'Aze, include exceptionally small points prepared using the Levallois technique among other prepared core types, causing some researchers to suggest that these flakes take advantage of greater grip strength possessed by Neanderthals.

In the Eastern Mediterranean, for example, assemblages produced by Neanderthals are indistinguishable from those made by Qafzeh type modern humans.

[2] Possible variants are Denticulate, Charentian (Ferrassie & Quina) named after the Charente region,[9] Typical, and the Mousterian Traditional Acheulian (MTA) Type-A and Type-B.