Paul Bahn

Rethinking the Middle/Upper Paleolithic Transition [and Comments and Replies]

This paper critically examines previous statements concerning the nature of the Middle/Upper Paleolithic transition in Western Europe. Mellarss overview of the transition in southwestern France forms the point of departure for discussion. Several of Mellarss contentions are modified in light of methodological weaknesses and recently available data. It is suggested that many observed Middle/Upper Paleolithic differences are best understood with reference to a restructuring of social relations across the boundary. This is seen to be consistent with the suggestions of Sally and Lewis Binford based on mortuary practices and lithic variability.

The Cambridge illustrated history of archaeology

Foreword Lord Renfrew Preface Introduction 1. The archaeology of archaeology 2. Old worlds and new, 1500-1760 3. Antiquarians and explorers, 1760-1820 4. Science and Romanticism, 1820-1860 5. The search for human origins, 1860-1920 6. Archaeology comes of age, 1920-1960 7. New techniques and competing philosophies, 1960-1990 8. Current controversies and future trends Bibliography Table of archaeological periods worldwide Chronology Index Acknowledgements.

USE OF PLANTS IN THE EUROPEAN PALAEOLITHIC: A REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE

The varied evidence available for the different uses to which plant materials were put during the European Palaeolithic is summarised. Actual remains of plants are more abundant than is generally realised, while the indirect clues provided by tools, human teeth and artistic depictions help to fill out the picture.

Husbandry and Herd Control in the Upper Paleolithic: A Critical Review of the Evidence [and Comments and Reply]

The notion, first advanced by Higgs and Jarman, that the archaeological record of the Upper Paleolithic provides evidence for animal husbandry has been bolstered by the research of several of their former students. Close examination of the evidence from southwestern France indicates, however, that, while plausible, such early forms of husbandry are not supported by the material record. It is proposed here that there is no currently acceptable evidence for animal husbandry in France before the Neolithic. It is also emphasized that the proponents of pre-Neolithic animal control have not developed the theory and method required to deal with this important issue.

Early Sedentism in East Asia: From Late Palaeolithic to Early Agricultural Societies in Insular East Asia

East Asia is a treasury of archaeological information when examining the origins and development of early sedentism in human societies. Since the early 20th century, conditions, causes and consequences of sedentism have been major research foci of anthropological archaeology. Traditional archaeological approaches, which were heavily based on data from Europe and the Near East, tended to view the begin ning of food production as the direct cause of sedentism (e.g.. Braidwood 1958, 1960; Childe 1942, 1951; MacNeish 1964, 1972). Developments in hunter-gatherer archaeology over the past several decades, however, have revealed that seden tism is not necessarily restricted to food-producing societies. In particular, the prehistory of the Japanese Archipelago and the Korean Peninsula (Map 2.4.1) does not fit into the con ventional chronology’ of the “Palaeolithic-Neolithic-Bronze Age” sequence of West Eurasia: the Jomon Culture in Japan (c. 16,000—3000/2500 10’) and the Chulmun Culture in Korea (c. 11,500—3300 sp) are associated with large amounts of pot tery but, unlike many other pottery-producing cultures, the pri mary subsistence strategy was hunting-gathering-fishing (çf. Jordan & Zvelebil 2009). An examination ofthe development of early sedentism in these regions will help us understand why historically’ unique trajectories of human sociopolitical and economic systems developed in different parts of the world. Recent discussions on the origins of agriculture also indi cate that the boundary between hunter-gatherers and agricul turalists is not as clear-cut as scholars once assumed. Many “hunter-gatherer” societies did/do practise plant cultivation or small-scale agriculture. The common practice of environmen tal management, in which important food resources, such as nut trees, are tended, is also known. The use of fire to periodi cally clear the land to maintain biodiversity is well documented as well (e.g., Pyne ‘999). Archaeological data from East Asia are critical for tackling these issues (e.g., Bleed & Matsui 2010; Crawford 2006, 2008). ‘fhe definition of sedentism has also gone through many changes. Over the past years, the idea that the measurement ofsedentism should be scalar and multifaceted, just like in the case of cultural and social complexity, has gained significant support (e.g., Kelly 1995: 148—9). Archaeological case studies from East Asia are instrumen tal in understanding the development of sedentaty ways oflife from the Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene. Rich archaeologi cal data from this region provide us with an excellent oppor tunity for understanding the correlations between sedentism and other key elements of prehistoric societies. They include subsistence intensification, population increase, long-distance trade, craft specialisation and social inequality. Changing human-envirotiment interaction in relation to long-term changes in prehistoric societies is also a key to understanding the development of sedentary ways of life. With the development of historical ecology (e.g., Balée 1998, zoo6; Balëe & Erickson 2006; Crumley 1994; Erlandson & Rick

New Advances in the Field of Ice Age Art

Although generally regarded as a fairly static field which only comes to life when a new theory or explanation comes along, the study of Ice Age art is, in fact, constantly changing and expanding, in terms of its data base, its geographical and chronological spread, and the kinds of information that can be extracted from it. I hope to provide a brief outline here of some of the most recent advances in this field, which is currently experiencing perhaps its most exciting and revolutionary phase since the existence and authenticity of Ice Age art were recognized at the turn of the century.

The Prehistory of East Africa

The Shaping of Social and Cultural Diversity One of the most salient features of the human geography of East Africa is the extreme cultural diversity of its populations. If we consider only the linguistic landscape of the region, it is remarkable that some 120 different languages are spoken in Sudan, another 120 in Tanzania, 80 in Ethiopia, 60 in Kenya and Tanzania and 10 in Eritrea. In this regard, the nearly complete monolingualism of Somalia and the adjacent, virtually independent, Somaliland, as well as the bilingualism of Djibouti, are exceptional. This linguistic diversity is compounded by the fact that all four African languages families ( i.e. , Nilo-Saharan, Afroasiatic, Niger-Congo and Khoisan) are encountered in the region, making it a probable point of convergence for groups with various ethnic backgrounds over the last several thousand years. A similar observation can be made regarding the diverse forms of social organisation that exist: despite the highly centralised Christian “empire” that has flourished in the Ethiopian highlands over the last centuries, many social groups have retained forms of social and political organisation often labelled as “tribal” – a vague term that encompasses large or petty chiefdoms, groups organised in clans and lineages, or even age-set societies. In a sense, this diversity can be viewed as a long-term phenomenon reflecting the intricacy of a millennia-long peopling pattern that superimposed peoples over peoples. But it can also be seen as the outcome of an intense process of interactions among groups, as well as among people and their environments. Here an overview of the natural landscape is not simply an exercise in style; it is a necessary prerequisite to understanding the factors that contributed to the shaping of this social diversity.