Palaeolithic geography
Or where are the deer
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3919133 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Derek Sturdy (0000-0001-7608-9732, University of Liverpool), D A Sturdy, D P Webley, Derrick Webley |
| Year | 1988 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 262-280 |
| Publication date | 1988-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | World Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00438243.1988.9980041 |
| OpenAlex | W2032338739 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 21 |
A method is offered by which maps of Palaeolithic geography can be drawn. The central objective is to look at palaeoecology but the difficulties — largely of imprecise numerical data — of this approach are accepted. Instead we urge archaeologists to remove their site blinkers; to consider not the areas around their sites but the area in which their sites occur; and not to place humans automatically at the centre of their landscapes. Initially we discuss the ways in which areas are defined, and the amount and effects of landscape change are assessed. Particular emphasis is placed on the relatively new field of tectonics as an agent of short‐term landscape change in certain areas. After deciding what species are to be analysed, the basis of the maps is proposed as a mosaic of terrain (how steep or flat is the ground?) and edaphic factors (does the ground grow good plants, or good food for herbivores?). From the analysis of this mosaic, the relevant species are placed in the landscape. In good cases the quality of the data allows numerical estimates of the species to be made, and in any case the choices, options or strategies available to Palaeolithic humans can then be assessed on the basis of a map which shows the dispersion of resources and the relation of the site(s) to them. The distinction is stressed between this method and that of site catchment analysis, which may be largely irrelevant to mobile Palaeolithic economies. The authors draw their practical examples from their work as part of the Klithi research project in Epirus
Archaeology · Biology · Geography · Sociology · Zooarchaeology · Anthropology · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Ecology · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · History · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
Tectonic Geomorphology and Soil Edaphics as Controls on Animal Migrations and Human Dispersal Patterns
The evolution of caprine herding in the hyper-arid zone of the southern Levant viewed through Niche Construction Theory
Chamois and the karst of Herzegovina
The Palaeolithic of Klithi in its wider context
Active tectonics and land-use strategies
The Middle Stone Age at Klasies River mouth in South Africa
Gazelle Killing in Stone Age Syria
The palaeolithic settlement of Europe
The Mediterranean valleys
The conditions of agricultural growth
Late Würm adaptive systems in Cantabrian Spain
Late quaternary alluviation and soil formation in the southern Argolid
The environmental history of the near and middle east since the last ice age
Hominid evolution and community ecology
The Palaeoenvironment of Some Archaeological Sites in Greece
Prehistoric Economy in the Mount Carmel Area of Palestine
Observations on the Historical Ecology of Boeotia
Palaeolithic Investigations in Epirus
Palaeolithic Investigations at Klithi
Asprochaliko and Kastritsa
Boundary Conditions for Paleolithic Social Systems
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,14 |
| Citation span | 1991 - 2024 (34) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |