Abstract
This paper discusses a number of concepts common to “transitions” in the Later Palaeolithic, whether change should be multifaceted in nature involving more than one cultural or technological attribute to be accepted as a defining point in time; the extent to which rate of change is important, be it gradual, accelerated, punctuated or uniform, and whether duration of change is relevant to the “transitions” debate. The case for refining chronologies is discussed. The paper concludes by drawing on the other papers in this section of the sourcebook to make some general methodological points.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Adams, B., 2007, Gulyas Archaeology: The Szeletian and the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic Transition in Hungary and Central Europe. In New Approaches to the Study of Early Upper Paleolithic ‘Transitional’ Industries in Western Eurasia, edited by J. Riel-Salvatore and G.A. Clark, pp. 91–110. Archaeopress, Oxford.
Allsworth-Jones, P., 2000, Dating the Transition between Middle and Upper Palaeolithic in Eastern Europe. In Neanderthals and Modern Humans-Discussing the Transition: Central and Eastern Europe from 50.000-30.000 B.P., edited by J. Orschiedt and G.C. Weniger, pp. 20–29. Wissenschaftliche Schriften des Neanderthal Museums, Band 2.
Bar-Yosef, O., 2002, The Upper Palaeolithic Revolution. Annual Review of Anthropology 31: 363–393.
Bar-Yosef, O., 1996, Modern Humans, Neanderthals and the Middle/Upper Palaeolithic Transition in Western Asia. The Colloquia of the XIII International Congress of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences. Volume 5 The Lower and Middle Palaeolithic, edited by O. Bar-Yosef, L.L. Cavalli-Sforza, R.J. March and M. Piperno, pp. 175–190. A.B.A.C.O. Edizioni, Forli.
Binford, L.R., 1973, Interassemblage Variability – the Mousterian and the ‘Functional’ Argument. In The Explanation of Culture Change, edited by A.C. Renfrew, pp. 227–254. Duckworth, London.
Binford, L.R., and Binford, S.R., 1966, A Preliminary Analysis of Functional Variability in the Mousterian of Levallois Facies. In Recent Studies in Palaeoanthropology. edited by J.D. Clark and F.C. Howell, American Anthropologist 38, no. 2, Part 2: 238–295.
Bordes, F., and de Sonnevilles-Bordes, D., 1970, The Significance of Variability in Palaeolithic Assemblages. World Archaeology 2: 61–73.
Camps, M., 2006, The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic Transition in Iberia: Turning Data into Information. Archaeopress, Oxford.
Carciumaru, M., and Anghelinu, M., 2000, The Carpatian Mousterian and the Transition from Middle to Upper Palaeolithic in Southern Romania. In Neanderthals and Modern Humans – Discussing the Transition: Central and Eastern Europe from 50.000-30.000 B.P., edited by J. Orschiedt and G.C. Weniger, pp. 190–195. Wissenschaftliche Schriften des Neanderthal Museums, Band 2.
Childe, V.G., 1952, New Light on the most Ancient East. Praeger, New York.
Cole, S., 1970, The Neolithic Revolution. British Museum (Natural History), London.
d'Errico, F., and Laroulandie, V., 2000, Bone Technology at the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic Transition. The Case of Worked Bones from Buran-Kaya III, Level C (Crimea, Ukraine). In Neanderthals and Modern Humans – Discussing the Transition: Central and Eastern Europe from 50,000-30,000 B.P., edited by J. Orschiedt and G.C. Weniger, pp. 227–242. Wissenschaftliche Schriften des Neanderthal Museum, Band 2.
Gowlett, J.A.J., 1999, The Lower and Middle Palaeolithic, Transition Problems and Hominid Species: Greece in Broader Perspective. In The Palaeolithic Archaeology of Greece and Adjacent Areas, edited by G.N. Bailey, E. Adam, E. Panagopoulou, C. Perles, and K. Zachos, pp. 43–58, Proceedings of the ICOPAG Conference, Ioannina 1994. British School at Athens Studies 3, London.
Harris, D.R., 1996, The Origins and Spread of Agriculture and Pastoralism in Eurasia. UCL Press, London.
Hopkinson, T., 2007, The Transition from the Lower to the Middle Palaeolithic in Europe and the Incorporation of Difference. Antiquity 81: 294–307.
Hughen, K., Lehman, S., Southon, J.R., Overpeck, J., Marchal, O., Herring, C., and Turnbull, J., 2004, 14C Activity and Global Carbon Cycle Changes Over the Past 50,000 Years. Science 303: 202–207.
Jöris, O., and Weninger, B., 2000, Approaching the Calendrical Age Dimension at the Transition from Middle to Upper Palaeolithic in Europe. In Neanderthals and Modern Humans – Discussing the Transition, edited by J. Orschiedt and G.C. Weniger, pp. 13–19. Wissenschaftliche Schriften des Neanderthal Museums, Band 2.
Kobusiewicz, M., 2004, The Problem of the Palaeolithic – Mesolithic Transition on the Polish Plain: State of Research. In Hunters in a Changing World. Environment and Archaeology of the Pleistocene - Holocene Transition [ca. 11000 - 9000 B.C.] in Northern Central Europe, edited by T. Terberger and B.V. Eriksen, pp. 133–139. Greifswald: Workshop of the U.I.S.P.P. Commission XXXII.
Lowe, J.J., 2001, Abrupt Climatic Changes in Europe during the Last glacial–interglacial Transition: The Potential for Testing Hypotheses on the Synchroneity of Climatic Events using Tephrochronology. Global and Planetary Change 30: 73–84.
Maisels, C.K., 1993, The Near East: Archaeology in the ‘Cradle of Civilisation’. Routledge, London.
Mellars, P.A., 1970, Some Comments on the Notion of ‘Functional Variability’ in Stone-Tool Assemblages. World Archaeology 2: 74–89.
Narr, K.J., 1984, On the Middle/Upper Palaeolithic Transition. Current Anthropology 25: 693.
Redman, C.L., 1978, The Rise of Civilisation: From the Early Farmers to Urban Society in the Ancient Near East. W. H. Freeman, San Francisco.
Smith, B.D., 1998, The Emergence of Agriculture. Scientific American Library, New York.
Straus, L.G., Eriksen, B.V., Erlandson, J.M., and Yesner, D.R., 1996, Humans at the End of the Ice Age: The Archaeology of the Pleistocene-Holocene Transition. Plenum Press, New York and London.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Housley, R.A. (2009). DISCUSSION 5: Transitions in the Later Palaeolithic. In: Camps, M., Chauhan, P. (eds) Sourcebook of Paleolithic Transitions. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-76487-0_36
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-76487-0_36
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-76478-8
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-76487-0
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)