Stone Age Prehistory
Studies in Memory of Charles McBurney

The studies in this wide-ranging volume focus on the analysis of stone artefacts and industries.

G. N. Bailey (Edited by), P. Callow (Edited by)

9780521105422, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 March 2009

284 pages
28 x 21 x 1.5 cm, 0.65 kg

The studies in this wide-ranging volume focus on the analysis of stone artefacts and industries and on the ways these can be used to throw light on human behaviour from the earliest times. They have a broad chronological and geographical spread and pay particular attention to the information that may be sought at different levels of investigation, from the detailed examination of individual objects to regional or even continental perspectives. Papers on two parallel lines of enquiry - prehistoric art and the physical development of the early hominids in Africa - demonstrate the wider relevance of many of the theoretical issues raised in the course of enquiries into lithic technology. The volume has been produced in memory of Charles McBurney, formerly Professor of Quaternary Prehistory in the University of Cambridge and its authorship is drawn largely from his former pupils. As such, the book reflects both the powerful influence of his teaching and a diversity of approach arising from the experiences of prehistorians working in different parts of the world.

Foreword J. G. D. Clark
Introduction G. N. Bailey and P. Callow
1. Charles Brian Montagu McBurney (1914–1979): an appreciation J. D. Clark and L. P. Wilkinson
Part I. Components of Artefact Variation: 2. Analysis by replication of two Acheulian artefact assemblages from Caddington, England Bruce Bradley and C. Garth Sampson
3. Stone tools: small-scale variability J. Peter White and H. Dibble
4. The archaeological approach to prehistoric pictures in Australia John Clegg
Part II. The Geographical Dimension: 5. Mesolithic exploitation of sandy areas: towards the testing of some hypotheses P. A. Mellars and M. Haynes
6. Artefacts, language and social interaction: a case study from south-eastern Australia Isabel McBryde
7. The geographical study of late Palaeolithic stages in eastern Spain Iain Davidson
Part III. Inter-assemblage Variation: Broadening the View: 8. Recent findings from La Micoque and other sites in south-western and Mediterranean France Nicholas Rolland
9. Middle Stone Age and Middle Palaeolithic: the evidence from Nigeria and Cameroun P. Allsworth-Jones
10. The place of the Haua Fteah in the late Palaeolithic of North Africa Angela E. Close
11. Stone-tool assemblages, raw material distributions and prehistoric subsistence activities: the Late Stone Age of South Africa
Part IV. Early Man in Africa: Alternative Perspectives: 12. Diversity, evolution and adaptation in early hominids Alan Bilsborough
13. Foundation stones: early artefacts as indicators of activities and abilities G. Ll. Issac
14. Culture and conceptualisation: the Oldowan-Acheulian gradient J. A. J. Gowlett
Index.

Subject Areas: History [HB]