The Neanderthal Legacy : An Archaeological Perspective from Western Europe / Paul A. Mellars.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mellars, Paul, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Behavior evolution--Europe.

Behavior evolution.

Human evolution--Europe--Philosophy.

Human evolution.

Paleolithic period--Europe.

Paleolithic period.

Neanderthals--Europe.

Neanderthals.

Europe--Antiquities.

Europe.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (494 p.)

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [1995]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The Neanderthals populated western Europe from nearly 250,000 to 30,000 years ago when they disappeared from the archaeological record. In turn, populations of anatomically modern humans, Homo sapiens, came to dominate the area. Seeking to understand the nature of this replacement, which has become a hotly debated issue, Paul Mellars brings together an unprecedented amount of information on the behavior of Neanderthals. His comprehensive overview ranges from the evidence of tool manufacture and related patterns of lithic technology, through the issues of subsistence and settlement patterns, to the more controversial evidence for social organization, cognition, and intelligence. Mellars argues that previous attempts to characterize Neanderthal behavior as either "modern" or "ape-like" are both overstatements. We can better comprehend the replacement of Neanderthals, he maintains, by concentrating on the social and demographic structure of Neanderthal populations and on their specific adaptations to the harsh ecological conditions of the last glaciation. Mellars's approach to these issues is grounded firmly in his archaeological evidence. He illustrates the implications of these findings by drawing from the methods of comparative socioecology, primate studies, and Pleistocene paleoecology. The book provides a detailed review of the climatic and environmental background to Neanderthal occupation in Europe, and of the currently topical issues of the behavioral and biological transition from Neanderthal to fully "modern" populations.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

List of Tables

List of Illustrations

Preface

CHAPTER 1. Introduction

CHAPTER 2. The Environmental Background to Middle Palaeolithic Occupation

CHAPTER 3. Stone Tool Technology

CHAPTER 4. Tool Morphology, Function and Typology

CHAPTER 5. The Procurement and Distribution of Raw Materials

CHAPTER 6. Industrial Taxonomy and Chronology

CHAPTER 7. Middle Palaeolithic Subsistence

CHAPTER 8. Sites in the Landscape

CHAPTER 9. The Spatial Organization of Middle Palaeolithic Sites

CHAPTER 10. The Significance of Industrial Variability

CHAPTER 11. Neanderthal Society

CHAPTER 12. The Neanderthal Mind

CHAPTER 13. The Big Transition

References

Index of Sites

General Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 420-460) and indexes.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Jul 2019)

ISBN:

9781400843602

140084360X

OCLC:

85802948