THE WORLD AT 100,000 BP
Stanley H. Ambrose
The aim of this session is to develop a comparative picture of the archaeological record of the evolution of human behavior during the Middle Paleolithic and Middle Stone Age (MP/MSA) in Africa and Eurasia. The temporal scope of the symposium is thus broadly defined as the period during which “Mode 3” industries were made, from the end of the Acheulean to the beginning of the Later Stone Age of subSaharan Africa (LSA) and Upper Paleolithic (UP) of North Africa and Eurasia. The thematic scope of the symposium includes adaptations to glacial and interglacial environments at low and high latitudes and the evolution of aspects of modern human behavior.
Modern human behavior is characterized in the archaeological record by sophisticated bone and stone technologies, “effective” faunal and other resource exploitation strategies, larger home ranges, enhanced planning depth, art, ornaments, symbolism, complex social formations and expanded systems of exchange and reciprocity. The advent of the Later Stone Age (LSA) in Africa and the Upper Paleolithic (UP) of western Eurasia is widely considered to mark the transition from “archaic” to modern human behavior, 40-20,000 years ago. However, elements of modern human behavior patterns undoubtedly emerged at different times over the last 200,000 years and may have been perfected during the MP/MSA. To what extent were people in Africa and Eurasia behaving like modern humans 200, 100, 50 and 30 thousand years ago?
The beginning of the Middle Stone Age and Middle Paleolithic may coincide with the origin of anatomically modern humans in Africa over 200,000 years ago. Genetic and fossil evidence suggest anatomically modern Africans dispersed to Eurasia several times by different routes, beginning ~100,000 years ago. Some innovations may have occurred earlier in Africa than elsewhere. However, the origin and dispersal of behavioral and technological innovations may be decoupled. In other words, the diffusion of innovations does not necessarily imply the diffusion of populations. Moreover, chronological resolution is currently too poor and dating techniques too ambiguous to evaluate the hypothesis of an African origin for these innovations.
Detailed case studies discussing particular sites and regions, and/or comparisons of aspects of the environment and archaeological record between regions in the period between the end of the Acheulean and the early last glacial period (marine isotope stages 7 through 3) are welcome.
papers:
Author 1 Author 2 Title
Ambrose Problems and prospects for accurate Chronometric Dating of the middle Stone Age in the Kenya Rift Valley
Brooks et al The middle Stone age of Ethiopia and the horn: new data from the Middle Awash
Conard Prindiville The Stone Age Archaeology and paleoecology of the Geelbek Dunes, Western Cape, South Africa
Conrad Prindiville Germany at around 100 000 BP
Sealy Henshilwwod Recent finds from Blombos Cave, and their implications for our understanding of the African Middle Stone Age
van Peer et al Middle Palaeolithic occupations at Wadi Sodmein Cave- Eastern Desert (Egypt)
Wurz Emergence of the Modern Mind