Rethinking the significance of the microlith for hunting in the terminal Pleistocene / Holocene: A comparative study

Microliths are small cutting implements made from stone and found around the world in a variety of prehistoric contexts. It is assumed without question, due to their size, that these pieces were made with the intention of being hafted. Their presence in the prehistoric record is often interpreted as indicative of multi-component composite toolkit designs. While the possibility of alternative functions cannot be ruled out of consideration, they have traditionally been, and are still most commonly interpreted as having served as armatures for hunting weaponry. As a global phenomenon, the term microlith encompasses a great deal of regional variation. Traditionally, studies of microlithic assemblages have been insularly rooted within the particular research frameworks of these regions. It is only recently that the potential for comparative assessment has been highlighted as a significantly under-explored avenue for further establishing the values that made microlithic technology desirable in different times and places. This research focusses on three study regions with strong distinct trends of microlithic technology, primarily associated with hunting weaponry: northern Spain, southern Africa and interior Alaska. Using a small sample of sites from each region, variation in microlithic assemblages was assessed over time in each area relative to contemporary trends in ungulate fauna and environmental proxies. This facilitated discussion of how microlithic based hunting practices related to particular prey or conditions, or changes in these factors. Overall, the study found that it is difficult to singularly characterise conditions associated with microlithic technology, even in individual regional analyses. This supports the notion that an important virtue of microlithic armatures is their versatility, allowing for flexible weapon designs that could accommodate variable risk related stresses

A multiproxy approach to understanding the impact of the Storegga tsunami upon Mesolithic hunter-fisher-gatherers across different regions of western Norway

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We Are Not Alone: William King and the Naming of the Neanderthals

The story of human history was changed forever in 1863 with William King's proposal that we had not always been the sole members of the Homo genus. Yet, more than 150 years after Homo neanderthalensis was first named and then summarized in the pages of The Anthropological Review, the man responsible for this revolutionary announcement is poorly known in the field of palaeoanthropology today. Following the sesquicentennial anniversary of this seminal event in 2013, a timely reappraisal is given of King's reputation, legacy, and work within the intellectual vortex of his time. [Neanderthals, human evolution, history of paleoanthropology, William King

Evidence of the Storegga tsunami 8200 BP? An archaeological review of impact after a large-scale marine event in Mesolithic Northern Europe

Around 8,200 years ago, the Storegga tsunami hit the coasts of the Norwegian and North Seas. This event is well known from wide ranging geological and palaeobotanical work undertaken over the last 30 years. Outside of attempts at palaeodemographic models, however, exploration of the social impact of the wave on Mesolithic hunter-gatherer societies living on the coasts of west Norway, the north and east British Isles, and around the southern North Sea basin have been less common. It has been widely assumed that the tsunami was a disaster–but what constituted a disaster for the Mesolithic peoples who lived through this event? What can we learn about life after natural hazards by considering the archaeological material from regions with distinct Mesolithic histories? This paper presents a review of evidence of the Storegga tsunami at Mesolithic sites from western Norway, the Northeast UK, and elsewhere around the southern North Sea basin. We consider the ways in which the social impact of the Storegga tsunami has been studied up till now and suggest an alternative way forward