Middle paleolithic scraper reduction: Background, clarification, and review of the evidence to date

@article{Dibble1995MiddlePS,
  title={Middle paleolithic scraper reduction: Background, clarification, and review of the evidence to date},
  author={Harold Lewis Dibble},
  journal={Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory},
  year={1995},
  volume={2},
  pages={299-368}
}
  • H. Dibble
  • Published 1 December 1995
  • History
  • Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory
The hypothesis that the principal varieties of Middle Paleolithic scrapers reflect varying degrees of resharpening and rejuvenation, rather than discrete emic types, has generated considerably controversy over the past decade. While there have been certain misunderstandings surrounding the proposed models of scraper reduction, this controversy also reflects different approaches taken by prehistorians in interpreting lithic artifacts. Placing the notion of scraper reduction in the context of… Expand
View on Springer
281 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
14
Background Citations
65
Methods Citations
22
Results Citations
2

281 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

The Return of the Bricoleur? Emplotment, Intentionality, and Tradition in Paleolithic Art
In this paper, we want to re-visit some of the core assumptions about the making of the images we call Paleolithic art. We propose that not all images were made as derived from a long standing and… Expand
Assessing the Integrity of Older Archeological Collections: an Example from La Ferrassie
Initially excavated in the early twentieth century, La Ferrassie is one of the most important sites for the Middle Paleolithic of Western Europe. Aside from the numerous Neanderthal remains found… Expand
Scraper and Notch Reduction in Middle and Upper Palaeolithic Assemblages from Central Europe
Abstract In this study, a reduction continuum model is tested for scrapers and notches using fourteen assemblages from four late Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic sites from Central Europe. The… Expand
Predetermined Flake Production at the Lower/Middle Paleolithic Boundary: Yabrudian Scraper-Blank Technology
TLDR
It is suggested that there was a change in the paradigm in the way hominins exploited stone tools: in many Middle Paleolithic assemblages the potential of the stone tools for hafting was a central feature, in the Lower Paleolithic ergonometric considerations of manual prehension were central to the design of blanks and tools. Expand
Middle Palaeolithic Scraper Morphology, Flaking Mechanics and Imposed Form: Revisitng Bisson's ‘Interview with a Neanderthal’
  • G. Monnier
  • History
  • Cambridge Archaeological Journal
  • 2007
Bisson (2001) proposes that imposition of form in Middle Palaeolithic scrapers can be recognized when the rules for scraper manufacture, which are based upon functional considerations, are known. He… Expand
Scraper Blank Morphology and Artifact Use-Life in the Acheulo-Yabrudian of Tabun Cave, Israel
Tabun Cave is a major point of reference for Paleolithic research because of both its long sequence of cultural deposits and its rich and variable artifact assemblages. Roughly one third of the Tabun… Expand
Tapping into the Past: Exploring the Extent of Palaeolithic Retouching Through Experimentation
Abstract This paper presents the results of an experiment designed to explore the performance of a variety of reduction measures currently used in international lithic studies. This research expands… Expand
Scraper reduction and "imposed form" at the Lower Palaeolithic site of High Lodge, England.
TLDR
The results indicate that morphological and typological diversity in the High Lodge scraper assemblage can be parsimoniously explained as a result of both the extent to which implements were resharpened during use and subtle variability in the nature of blank forms selected for retouch. Expand
Observations on Systematics in Paleolithic Archaeology
The intellectual traditions that frame Paleolithic research in Europe and the United States are reviewed, and the European Middle Paleolithic archaeological record is examined for patterns that… Expand
Middle Paleolithic sidescrapers were resharped or recycled? A view from Nesher Ramla, Israel
Abstract The resharpening of sidescrapers is a widely discussed issue in recent Middle Paleolithic studies. However, in the Levantine record the evidence for sidescraper resharpening is meager. The… Expand
...
1
2
3
4
5
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 106 REFERENCES
The Interpretation of Middle Paleolithic Scraper Morphology
In Bordes's typology for the Lower and Middle Paleolithic, he defines four major classes of side scrapers: single, double, convergent, and transverse forms. Data from three Middle Paleolithic… Expand
Debitage Analysis and Archaeological Interpretation
The systematic study of chipped stone debitage provides important information about prehistoric lithic technology. However, the results of most debitage analyses are unconvincing because of… Expand
On the Validity of Middle Paleolithic Tool Types: A Test Case from the Eastern
AbstractUsing data from a Middle Paleolithic site at Bir Taifawi in the Eastern Sahara, this study tests recent hypotheses that much of the typological variation apparent in the Middle Paleolithic… Expand
Systematic Reworking of Lithics from Earlier Cultures in the Early Holocene of Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt
Abstract A raw material form scarcely mentioned in the literature on lithic production—chipped stone artifacts manufactured by members of still earlier cultures—is used for a substantial portion of… Expand
Beyond Style and Function: A View from the Middle Paleolithic
Chipped stone artifacts are a significant, and often the only available, record of prehistoric hunter-gatherers. The assemblages from four Middle Paleolithic sites in the Iberian peninsula form the… Expand
Prehistoric Quarries and Lithic Production: Quarry studies: technological and chronological significance
Quarry sites contain thousands of years of debitage in quantities that can be studied statistically. Paradoxically, quarry sites, unlike other types of sites, have not been subjected to routine… Expand
Mousterian Assemblage Variability on an Interregional Scale
  • H. Dibble
  • Geography
  • Journal of Anthropological Research
  • 1991
This paper makes direct comparisons between scraper-rich Middle Paleolithic assemblages from France (the Quina and Ferrassie facies) and the Near East (the Yabrudian and Zagros Mousterian) and shows… Expand
Middle paleolithic symbolism: A review of current evidence and interpretations
Abstract Identifying the origins of symbolism and of linguistically structured behavior is crucial to our nderstanding of the evolution of modern humanity. A critical survey of the archaeological… Expand
Stone Tools and Paleolithic Settlement in the Iberian Peninsula
The assemblages from four sites in Spain and Gibraltar form the basis of a study that addresses the behavioral significance of the variability in Middle Paleolithic chipped stone artifacts.… Expand
Size and form in the analysis of flake debris: Review and recent approaches
TLDR
Preliminary study suggests that Ahler's mass-analysis model and log skew Laplace functions hold particular promise for behavioral interpretation from debris assemblages. Expand
...
1
2
3
4
5
...