Harold L. Dibble - Böcker

Summary of the discoveries made during the course of excavations at the Paleolithic cave site of Fontéchevade, France, between 1994 and 1998. The excavation team address major problems raised by earlier excavations at the site from 1937 to 1954. These earlier excavations produced two sets of problematic data : first, the Lower Paleolithic stone tool industry, the Tayacian, that differs in fundamental ways from other contemporary industries, second, the human skull fragment that has been interpreted as modern in nature but that apparently dates from the last interglacial, long before there is any evidence for humans from any other site in Europe. By applying modern stratigraphic, lithic, faunal, geological, geophysical, and radiometric analyses, the interdisciplinary team demonstrates that the Tayacian 'industry' is a product of site formation processes and that the actual age of the Fontéchevade I fossil is compatible with other evidence for the arrival of modern humans in Europe.

This book presents the major tool types of European Lower and Middle Paleolithic. Building on the typelist of the late Francois Bordes, with many forms that have been recognized since, it presents working definitions of the types with illustrations and discussions of the variability inherent to lithic typologies. The authors combine classic typological views with current notions of lithic typological variation.This handbook represents not only an important reference source for gaining a practical understanding of how Lower and Middle Paleolithic typology is applied but also of the nature of lithic variability in other kinds of assemblages. It will be indispensable to scholars and students of prehistory, and be an invaluable resource for both the professional and the layperson interested in understanding this major body of evidence of the human past.

Situated between Europe, Asia, and the Levantine corridor to Africa, the Zagros-Taurus region has enormous potential for the study of human adaptation and population movement during the Pleistocene. While archaeological work was done in this area 40 years ago, much of it remains unpublished. The political situation restricts research by archaeologists. This volume includes new data and major syntheses of the Paleolithic prehistory of the region, with reports of key sites and industries. By filling a major gap in our understanding of this area, it represents an essential reference for Near Eastern and Paleolithic specialists.

This report presents the new excavations at Combe-Capelle Bas, a Middle Paleolithic site in southern France. The site is situated directly on a source of good quality flint, and recent theories suggest that such a setting may have certain predictable effects on the lithic industries. These effects, and others relating to current models of raw material procurement and use, are discussed. This book will appeal to anyone interested in Paleolithic archaeology, lithic analysis, raw material use, and site formation and taphonomy.

Proceedings of a symposium held at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in January 1987. The primary objective of this symposium was to examine the diversity in data, methodologies, and interpretive models that have emerged from recent fieldwork. The volume is divided into three main parts: the first contains articles devoted to the excavation and interpretation of individual sites, the second focuses on papers dealing with issues concerning the Middle Paleolithic, and the third deals with aspects of variability in the Upper Paleolithic. An extensive bibliography is included.

Summary of the discoveries made during the course of excavations at the Paleolithic cave site of Fontéchevade, France, between 1994 and 1998. The excavation team address major problems raised by earlier excavations at the site from 1937 to 1954. These earlier excavations produced two sets of problematic data : first, the Lower Paleolithic stone tool industry, the Tayacian, that differs in fundamental ways from other contemporary industries, second, the human skull fragment that has been interpreted as modern in nature but that apparently dates from the last interglacial, long before there is any evidence for humans from any other site in Europe. By applying modern stratigraphic, lithic, faunal, geological, geophysical, and radiometric analyses, the interdisciplinary team demonstrates that the Tayacian 'industry' is a product of site formation processes and that the actual age of the Fontéchevade I fossil is compatible with other evidence for the arrival of modern humans in Europe.

This humorous account of human evolution, from the beginnings of bipedalism through the Upper Paleolithic, is set in the context of a cookbook, with recipes and cartoons to match the unfolding stories. Each chapter discusses a particular milestone or event in human development, and a dash of prehistory, a sprinkling of recipes, and a generous helping of humor painlessly lighten the professorial instruction. From leading us to understand the first tool makers to showing us how to prepare a Neanderthal dinner party at the site of the authors' most recent excavations in Pech de l'Aze in France's Dordogne Valley near the town of Sarlat, this book presents archaeology as never before.

Papers originally presented at a symposium on the Middle Paleolithic of Europe and the Near East, organized as part of the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in the spring of 1989. Paleolithic archaeology has entered a period in which new interpretations, based on new finds and revised ideas concerning previously known material, are competing with traditional interpretations. There is an urgent need for continued dialogue among Paleolithic scholars, exemplified by these papers.

This book provides comprehensive information on the materials excavated at Pech de l’Azé IV, both by the original excavator François Bordes in the 1970s, and more recently by the authors and their scientific team. Applying a range of new excavation and analytical techniques, it presents detailed material on the formation of the site, its chronology and the nature of the hominin occupations. Pech de l’Azé IV is part of a complex of Lower and Middle Paleolithic cave sites in the Dordogne Valley of southwestern France. Although this region is well known for its rich concentration of Paleolithic sites since the mid-19th century and many of the sites have been repeatedly excavated, no detailed studies have fully documented the stone tool technology and faunal remains or the changes in them over time. The site was regularly occupied by groups of Neanderthals from approximately 100,000 to 40,000 years ago, during which time global-scale changes transformed the region from a relatively warm climate (similar to today’s) to a very cold, glacial one. The site provides valuable insights into changes in Neanderthal behavior that reflect, at least in part, their adaptation to changes in the environment and the availability of important resources, such as prey species.