Parth R. Chauhan

Sourcebook of Paleolithic Transitions

The archeological emphasis on ‘‘the transition’’ between ‘‘the’’ Middle Paleolithic and ‘‘the’’ Upper Paleolithic implies that these two putative cultural stages were real entities defined in absolute contradistinction to one another and that the passage between them was sharp and abrupt. While perhaps continuing to have value as heuristic devices when discourse demands reductionism, it is increasingly clear that each of these archeological concepts (or constructs) is characterized by great geographic and temporal variability and that many of the idealized attributes of the one are often found in the other, while others may be absent from sites of the time range in which they ‘‘should’’ be present. While there was cultural change in Europe between 45 and 25 kya, there had also been much during the c. 250,000-year course of the Middle Paleolithic and there would continue to be much during the remaining 15,000 years of the Upper Paleolithic—and beyond—as hominids continually (albeit at varying rates) adapted to major environmental and demographic changes. Change did not come uniformly across space or time and can be described as having been mosaic rather than monolithic in character. Of course, the situation ismuddied by the parallel debate over the replacement (total or partial, fast or slow) of the Neandertals—a subject that is best left out of the purely archeological debate, at least at this time, since there is currently no actual proof for the presence of anatomically ‘‘modern’’ humans in Europe until 35 kya.

Analytical Approaches to Palaeolithic Technologies: An Introduction

We believe that it is instructive and timely to revisit themes that David L. Clarke (1968) raised in Analytical Archaeology. Here, we examine the extent to which they are being pursued by the contributors of this volume in the context of Palaeolithic studies. In highlighting certain “Clarkeian” trends, we discuss four themes: (1) hypothesis testing and formal analysis, (2) quantification and inferential statistical analysis, (3) models, (4) cultural transmission and lineages of artefactual traditions and (5) morphometrics.

Early Homo Occupation Near the Gate of Tears: Examining the Paleoanthropological Records of Djibouti and Yemen

The Bab al-Mandab region has often been considered a primary crossing point for early hominins following a southern coastal route from East Africa to South and Southeast Asia. However, surprisingly little work has been done in the countries of Djibouti and Yemen, both of which hold the key to our understanding of the chronological, paleoenvironmental and adaptive contexts of such early movements. As a result, detailed and accurate information about hominin subsistence, raw material exploitation, climatic adaptations, and the rate and success of early dispersals in such regions still remain poorly understood. Being a part of the Rift Valley, Djibouti shows great potential for paleoanthropological research in parity with the rest of East Africa. Only one Oldowan site, near Lake Abbe, is currently known and dated to between 1.6 and 1.3 Ma by ESR, with presumably butchered remains of Elephas recki ileretensis and hundreds of artifacts on lavas. In addition, a complete articulated skeleton of Elephas recki recki was found in clays of the comparatively younger Gobaad Formation. Previous investigators have also reported a fragmentary maxilla, attributed to an older form of Homo sapiens and dated to ~250 Ka, from the valley of the Dagadle Wadi. In Yemen and other parts of the Arabian Peninsula, archaeological investigations by numerous workers have yielded an abundance of Lower Paleolithic sites near the mountains and on fan surfaces, particularly in the Hadramaut area and the Tihama Plains, including the Al-Guza cave site with possible Oldowan artifacts. Surveys 25 to 40 km inland from the Gulf of Aden, South of Yemen, have yielded almost 40 Lower Paleolithic sites, including several Oldowan sites. Despite these commendable efforts, however, vast parts of both Djibouti and Yemen remain largely unexplored and much of the known evidence from both regions has not been absolutely dated or excavated. Until this is done, such data lend little support to early dispersal models that incorporate a southern coastal route to Southeast Asia during the Late Pliocene. This paper attempts to highlight and assess the earliest-known Mode 1 and Mode 2 evidence from Djibouti and Yemen, and correlate them with the available Plio-Pleistocene environmental records of the Bab al-Mandab region. Another objective is to provide a detailed synthesis of the original French publications on the paleoanthropological evidence from Djibouti, thus making it more widely available for comparative purposes.

Metrical Variability Between South Asian Handaxe Assemblages: Preliminary Observations

The Indian subcontinent represents the easternmost abundant source of classic Acheulean technology in the Old World. Since the late nineteenth century, a large number of Acheulean sites have been reported from India, Pakistan, and most recently Nepal. This study focuses exclusively on handaxes and attempts to respectively compare published metrical data from individual assemblages and groups of assemblages with each other, using univariate and multivariate statistical methods (cluster analyses and the Mann–Whitney U test). The five main variables that are examined include mean values of handaxe length, breadth, thickness, and elongation and “refinement,” to reveal levels of statistical metric differences between handaxe groups and associated typological and geographic patterns. Preliminary results indicate that many of these handaxe assemblages are not metrically distinguishable as strictly Early or Late Acheulean types, as has been done in the past. While the handaxe assemblages geographically closest to each other broadly cluster together at the locality level (albeit inconsistently), there are significant statistical differences between groups of assemblages at interregional levels. This indicates that there was marked geographic and probably chronological overlap in the degrees of metric variation across the entire Indian subcontinent, possibly reflecting a dynamic intermediate developmental phase within the region following initial colonization by Acheulean hominins.

The Indian Subcontinent and ‘Out of Africa I’

The last few decades of paleoanthropological research has raised important issues about the rate and chrono-geographical extent of early hominin dispersals from Africa into Eurasia. Owing to its geographic position, the Indian subcontinent has a pivotal role to play in addressing such issues. This ecologically diverse landmass critically lies between the three sources of the oldest Homo fossils in the Old World and a southern route of expansion from Africa to Southeast Asia, through this region, has often been inferred. Claims of Plio-Pleistocene Oldowan assemblages have been made since the 1960s and come from the Narmada Valley in central India and from the Siwalik Hills in northern Pakistan and northern India. This paper critically reviews each of these claims and broadly discusses associated Plio-Pleistocene environments and geographic routes of entry. A large majority of these reported occurrences represents unsubstantiated claims and require further scientific verification through additional evidence. Tentative scenarios for the current absence of paleoanthropological evidence older than the Middle Pleistocene are also briefly discussed. This current lack of Oldowan assemblages, however, does not reflect an unquestionable absence of hominin occupation in the region. Ecologically conducive environments in the form of open grasslands, a seasonal monsoon regime, diverse fauna and eco-habitats (i.e., diverse hunting/scavenging opportunities), and an abundance of water and stone resources suggest the possible earlier presence of hominins in South Asia. Obviously, much more field research is required to test and confirm their early presence/absence in this geographically important region of the Old World.