The hominid individual in context : archaeological investigations of lower and middle Palaeolithic landscapes, locales and artefacts

This book explores new approaches to the remarkably detailed information that archaeologists now have for the study of our early ancestors. Rather than explaining the archaeology of stones and bones as the product of group decisions, the contributors investigate how individual action created social life. This challenge to the accepted standpoint of the Palaeolithic brings new models and theories into the period; innovations that are matched by the resolution of data preserving individual action among the stones and bones. The volume brings together examples from recent excavations such as Boxgrove, Schöningen and Blombos Cave and the analyses of artefacts from Middle and Early Upper Pleistocene excavations in Europe, Africa and Asia. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 List of figures......Page 8 List of tables......Page 12 List of contributors......Page 14 Preface......Page 20 1 From empty spaces to lived lives exploring the individual in the Palaeolithic......Page 22 2 The Acheulean and the handaxe structure and agency in the Palaeolithic......Page 34 3 Transformations in dividuality personhood and palaeoliths in the Middle Pleistocene......Page 50 4 Seeking the Palaeolithic individual in East Africa and Europe during the Lower Middle Pleistocene......Page 71 5 The making of the biface and the making of the individual......Page 89 6 Observations on the relationship between Palaeolithic individuals and artefact scatters at the Middle Pleistocene site of Boxgrove UK......Page 102 7 The natural and socio cultural environment of Homo erectus at Bilzingsleben Germany......Page 119 8 The Lower Palaeolithic art of hunting the case of Schöningen 13 II 4 Lower Saxony Germany......Page 136 9 Tracking hominins during the last interglacial complex in the Rhineland......Page 154 10 Bones and powerful individuals faunal case studies from the Arctic and the European Middle Palaeolithic......Page 175 11 All in a day’s work Middle Pleistocene individuals materiality and the lifespace at Makapansgat South Africa......Page 197 12 Life and mind in the Acheulean a case study from India......Page 218 13 Individuals among palimpsest data fluvial landscapes in Southern England......Page 241 14 Being modern in the Middle Stone Age individuals and innovation......Page 265 15 Concluding remarks context and the individual......Page 286 Bibliography......Page 292 Index......Page 331 Arts, Language and Literature Book Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of figures 8 List of tables 12 List of contributors 14 Preface 20 1 From empty spaces to lived lives exploring the individual in the Palaeolithic 22 2 The Acheulean and the handaxe structure and agency in the Palaeolithic 34 3 Transformations in dividuality personhood and palaeoliths in the Middle Pleistocene 50 4 Seeking the Palaeolithic individual in East Africa and Europe during the Lower Middle Pleistocene 71 5 The making of the biface and the making of the individual 89 6 Observations on the relationship between Palaeolithic individuals and artefact scatters at the Middle Pleistocene site of Boxgrove UK 102 7 The natural and socio cultural environment of Homo erectus at Bilzingsleben Germany 119 8 The Lower Palaeolithic art of hunting the case of Schöningen 13 II 4 Lower Saxony Germany 136 9 Tracking hominins during the last interglacial complex in the Rhineland 154 10 Bones and powerful individuals faunal case studies from the Arctic and the European Middle Palaeolithic 175 11 All in a day’s work Middle Pleistocene individuals materiality and the lifespace at Makapansgat South Africa 197 12 Life and mind in the Acheulean a case study from India 218 13 Individuals among palimpsest data fluvial landscapes in Southern England 241 14 Being modern in the Middle Stone Age individuals and innovation 265 15 Concluding remarks context and the individual 286 Bibliography 292 Index 331

this Volume Explores New Approaches To The Remarkably Detailed Information That Archaeologists Have For The Study Of Our Earliest Ancestors. Previous Investigations Of Human Evolution In The Paleolithic Period Have Conventionally Been From An Ecological And Behavioral Point Of View. The Emphasis Has Been On How Our Early Ancestors Made A Living, Decided What To Eat, Adapted Through Their Technology To The Conditions Of Existence And Reacted To Changing Ice Age Climates. The individual Hominid In Context Takes A Different Approach.

rather Than Explaining The Archaeology Of Stones And Bones As The Product Of Group Decisions, The Contributors Investigate How Individual Action Created Social Life. This Challenge To The Accepted Standpoint Of The Paleolithic Brings New Models And Theories Into The Period; Innovations That Are Matched By The Resolution Of The Data That Preserve Individual Action Among The Artifacts. The Book Brings Together Examples From Recent Excavations At Boxgrove, Schoningen And Blombos Cave, And The Analyses Of Findings From Middle And Early Upper Pleistocene Excavations In Europe, Africa And Asia. The Results Will Revolutionize The Paleolithic As Archaeologists Search For The Lived Lives Among The Empty Spaces That Remain.

For too long the Palaeolithic was regarded by archaeologists as the most un-promising of all periods for the reconstruction of society and economy (e.g. Childe 1951; Wheeler 1954).