El. knyga: More than Meets the Eye: Studies on Upper Palaeolithic Diversity in the Near East

This volume contains 23 chapters derived from a session at the 65th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in April 2000. The papers are organized into sections covering environment and resources; the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition; the early Upper Palaeolithic; flake-based industries; the later Upper Palaeolithic and the transition to the Epipalaeolithic. Topics include observations on ashy cave and rockshelter deposits in the Near East; variability and change in the early Upper Palaeolithic of the Levant; technology, economy and mobility at the beginning of the Levantine Upper Palaeolithic; and new data from the Wadi al-Hasa. Additional commentaries round out the volume with discussions of the papers and reflections on Upper Palaeolithic studies and issues. Numerous drawings and diagrams are included throughout. Distributed by The David Brown Book Company Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

These twenty-three papers focus on recent research into the Upper Palaeolithic of the Levant, a murky period of human history (ca 45,000 to 20,000 years ago) during which modern patterns of human behaviour and communication became the norm.

These twenty-three papers focus on recent research into the Upper Palaeolithic of the Levant, a murky period of human history (ca 45,000 to 20,000 years ago) during which modern patterns of human behaviour and communication became the norm. The vast majority of archaeological data from this period relates to chipped stone tools and most contributors focus on defining and distinguishing the two main traditions in lithic technology - the Levantine 'Aurignacian' and the 'Ahmarian'. Some papers report on recent fieldwork, others seek to define and explain reasons for variation and change in material culture. Do lithic traditions represent different corporate groups of hunter-gatherers, or can variation be explained by other factors, such as adaptations to local landscapes and environments or changing patterns of mobility? An appendix provides a comprehensive list of available Upper Palaeolithic 14C dates in the Near East. Most of the papers derive from a conference session on the Levantine Upper Palaeolithic, held as part of the Society for American Archaeology annual meeting in 2000.