Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I" at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In a career spanning four decades, Harold Dibble’s work had a profound impact on (1) the interpretation of Mousterian variability, (2) our understanding of lithic technology, (3) our evaluation of Neanderthal behavior, and (4) the methods we use to excavate Paleolithic sites. Underlying these contributions was his unwavering commitment to archaeology as a scientific endeavor. This commitment included hypothesis testing, quantification of data, statistical evaluation of results, and sharing of data. His legacy consists of a radically revised understanding of Neanderthal cultural behavior, where fire-making, symbolic burial, and language must be demonstrated, not assumed; a new science of lithic technology; and a clarification of the meaning of Mousterian industrial variability. His excavation methods have established a new standard for the field. At his untimely death in 2018, Dibble left behind a robust experimentation program; active field research that was producing new data on Neanderthal behavior; and countless colleagues and students pursuing groundbreaking work, inspired by his call for a rigorous scientific-based approach to archaeology. This session, part 1 of 2, brings together Dibble’s students and colleagues to present new results and to reflect on his legacy and the way in which it has changed the future of Paleolithic archaeology.

Other Keywords
Lithic Analysis • Paleolithic • Experimental Archaeology • Hunter-Gatherers/Foragers • Mobility • Landscape Archaeology • Human Behavioral Ecology • Early Epipaleolithic • Material Culture and Technology • Digital Archaeology: Simulation and Modeling

Geographic Keywords
Worldwide • State of Eritrea (Country) • Republic of Yemen (Country) • Multi-regional/comparative • Arizona (State / Territory) • United States of America (Country) • Utah (State / Territory) • Nevada (State / Territory) • California (State / Territory) • Republic of Turkey (Country)

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-10 of 10)

  • Documents (10)
Documents
  • Dibble’s Reduction Thesis: Its Implications for Lithic Analysis and Macroarchaeology (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Michael Shott.

    This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Dibble demonstrated systematic effects of reduction on the size and shape of Middle Paleolithic flake tools. He identified independent (e.g., platform dimensions,) and dependent (e.g. flake mass) variables that registered the degree and pattern of reduction experienced by retouched tools....

  • Fire Use in the Levantine Early Epipaleolithic: The Dibble and Colleagues Lithics Count Method (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Deborah Olszewski. Maysoon al-Nahar.

    This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Using a count method of complete and proximal burnt lithics ≥2.5 cm, Dibble and colleagues recorded a pattern of fire use by southwestern France Neanderthals whereby fire use was more common in warmer rather than colder intervals of the late Pleistocene. Recent work by Abdolahzadeh and...

  • How Flakes Form: Modeling the Initiation and Propagation Phases of Flake Formation (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Tamara Dogandzic. Li Li. Shannon McPherron.

    This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The shape and size of lithic artifacts are a main source of information about the technical and technological behaviors of past peoples. The mechanics of how flakes are formed is thus one of the central questions of lithic studies and one that Harold Dibble was intently focused on...

  • Integrating Fracture Mechanics into the Design and Implementation of Controlled Lithic Experiments (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Li Li. Sam Lin. Jonathan Reeves. Shannon McPherron.

    This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The underlying physics of stone tool production is an important component in the studies of lithic technology. The field of fracture mechanics offers rich literature on the basic principles of flake initiation, propagation, and termination. However, results from these fracture mechanics...

  • Is There (and What Is) a “Nubian-Levallois” from the Etic Perspective of Flake and Fracture Formation? (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Zeljko Rezek.

    This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Lithic experimentation and the understanding of the so-called nubian-levallois technology are just two among many aspects of Harold’s legacy. The results of so far the only controlled experiment on core surface morphology, some of which resembles nubian-levallois in featuring a prominent...

  • Lithics and Landscapes in the Mojave Desert (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Barbara Roth. Kara Jones.

    This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Harold Dibble’s focus on the multiple ways that lithics were used, modified, and transported across the landscape have been critical to Paleolithic studies but also have important applications in other areas. In this paper, we use data on lithic procurement, use, and reuse from sites in...

  • Measuring Movement: The Influence of Scraper Reduction Models on the Early Pleistocene (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only David Braun. Benjamin Davies. Matthew Douglass. Sam Lin. Jonathan Reeves.

    This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The identification of the “Frison Effect” on Middle Paleolithic scraper variability has had numerous subsequent implications. The initial influence revolved around our understanding of the then-prevailing use of typological distinctions in the Middle Paleolithic. However, the quantitative...

  • Reuse and Assemblage Composition, from Tools to Flakes (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Simon Holdaway.

    This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. In 1984, Harold Dibble published his iconic scraper reduction paper. This publication, and the many that followed, played a significant role in realigning the discipline from one that retained a focus on artifact typology as the foundation for both culture historical and functional...

  • Revisiting the Rolland and Dibble Synthesis: The Emergence of Artifact Retouch and Artifact Density Variability in Paleolithic Assemblages (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Sam Lin.

    This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Rolland and Dibble synthesis was an ambitious attempt to reframe the interpretation of Middle Paleolithic variability. The model postulates that Middle Paleolithic assemblage variability is continuous in nature, driven principally by raw material availability and occupation intensity....

  • To What Extent Is the Concept of Convergence Applicable to Lithic Technology: An Overview (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Aylar Abdolahzadeh.

    This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. For many Paleolithic archaeologists, it is important to determine whether similar characteristics of lithic artifacts and/or assemblages resulted from convergent evolution because this may help us better understand the evolutionary developments of stone artifact technologies from H....