A collection of almost forty previously published papers, in French and English, discussing recent research on the Upper Palaeolithic. The papers are losely chronological, discussing the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition, the Final Palaeolithic and presenting case studies from Europe, as well as from Anatolia, the Crimea and Georgia, and relations between areas of Europe and beyond. Abstracts in English.

Publisher Description

"With the long-awaited publication of these three volumes we have the first thorough documentation of one of the most important prehistoric sites in the Mediterranean, that of Franchthi Cave in the Argolid Peninsula of Greece." —American Anthropologist " . . . an exceptional contribution to the hitherto very inadequate knowledge of this period in Greece." —Antiquity " . . . the archaeological and paleoenvironmental data from Franchthi Cave are unique in providing a site-specific record of the cultural responses to great environmental changes." —Quarterly Research "Perlès's study is impressive in the systematic application of a well-thought-out methodology." —American Antiquity This study of chipped/flaked stone tools found in the excavations at Franchthi Cave is the first of its kind in Greek archaeology, if not in the whole of southeastern European prehistory.

Papers from Session 4 disseminate a wealth of archaeological data from Bavaria to the Russian Plain, and discuss Aurignacian, Gravettian, Epigravettian, and Magdalenian perspectives on lithic tool kits and animal remains. Session 6 was concerned with lithic raw material procurement in the Caucasus and in three areas of the Iberian peninsula.

The British Palaeolithic provides the first academic synthesis of the entire British Palaeolithic, from the earliest occupation to the end of the Ice Age. It fills a major gap in teaching resources as well in research by providing a current synthesis of the latest research on the period.

The objective of this volume is to showcase the contemporary state of research on recognizing and evaluating the performance of stone age weapons from a variety of viewpoints, including investigating their cognitive and evolutionary significance. New archaeological finds and experimental studies have helped to bring this subject back to the forefront of human origins research. In the last few years, investigations have expanded beyond examining the tools themselves to include studies of damage caused by projectile weapons on animal and hominin bones and skeletal asymmetries in ancient hominin populations. Only recently has there been a growing interest in controlled and replicative experiments. Through this book readers will be updated in the state of knowledge through a multidisciplinary scientific reconstruction of prehistoric weapon use and its implications. Contributions from expert authors are organized into three themed parts: recognizing weapon use (experimental and archaeological studies of impact traces), performance of weapon systems (factors influencing penetration depth etc.), and behavioral and evolutionary ramifications (cognitive and ecological effects of using different weapons).