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

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.