Geoarchaeology, the French Paleolithic, and Harold

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part II" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Geoarchaeology requires the practitioner to be versed in both geology and archaeology. To do it right necessitates active participation of other specialists on the team, starting with the archaeologist(s). Without them, even the best geoarchaeological endeavors can fall flat. Both of us were fortunate to work with Harold Dibble for nearly 20 years investigating geoarchaeological aspects of Paleolithic cave sites in France and Morocco. Harold’s research legacy centered on Middle Paleolithic lithic variations and developing excavation methodologies, but he also focused on understanding site formation. Major issues that we (and Harold’s team) tried to tackle included Neanderthal use of fire, the micro- and macro-stratigraphic context of Neanderthal skeletons, and formation processes related to past environments and Neanderthal behaviors. Through a close integration of geoarchaeological and archaeological data, we show, for example, that the infant at Roc de Marsal was not intentionally buried, and that there appears to be a pattern of fire use in the warmer last interglacial and not in cold stadials in SW France. Sedimentological observations and fabric analyses of stone tools were often key for making these assessments. Harold was most importantly a data-driven scientist; his contributions pushed archaeology forward as a scientific endeavor.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part II   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36092.0