A Lithic-Behavioral Investigation of Cultural Transmission Across the Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition in Western Europe
2019-12
Loading...
View/Download File
Persistent link to this item
Statistics
View StatisticsJournal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Title
A Lithic-Behavioral Investigation of Cultural Transmission Across the Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition in Western Europe
Authors
Published Date
2019-12
Publisher
Type
Thesis or Dissertation
Abstract
Neanderthals are one of our closest evolutionary relatives. Molecular anthropology has shown that our species intermixed genetically, but the extent to which we interacted socially and exchanged technological information is still hotly debated, especially in the period approximately 40,000 years ago in Western Europe just prior to the Neanderthals’ extinction. This dissertation addresses elements of this question through a mixture of methodologies. This work is presented in the form of three papers. Paper 1 presents an inexpensive photography rig designed to create 3D artifact models using photogrammetry, also known as structure from motion. The second paper uses 3D models of cores generated with the system described in Paper 1 to compare Châtelperronian and Protoaurignacian lithic technology, which are associated with Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans respectively. The final paper presents an attribute-based analysis of artifacts from five assemblages from four sites linked to three technocomplexes spanning the so-called Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition. This analysis applies the middle range theory of the Behavioral Approach to Cultural Transmission to both test the hypothesis that there was cultural transmission between Neanderthal and anatomically modern human groups and infer the degree of social intimacy that is most likely to have existed between them.
Description
University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. 2019. Major: Anthropology. Advisor: Gilbert Tostevin. 1 computer file (PDF); 278 pages.
Related to
Replaces
License
Collections
Series/Report Number
Funding information
Isbn identifier
Doi identifier
Previously Published Citation
Suggested citation
Porter, Samantha. (2019). A Lithic-Behavioral Investigation of Cultural Transmission Across the Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition in Western Europe. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/226371.
Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.