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A new approach to interpreting late Pleistocene microlith industries in southwest Asia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Michael P. Neeley  and
C. Michael Barton
Michael P. Neeley
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Box 872402, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ 85287-2402, USA
C. Michael Barton
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Box 872402, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ 85287-2402, USA
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Extract

Archaeologists have long assumed that morphological variability in microliths primarily reflects cultural differences among the makers. This forms the basis for differentiating major cultural/temporal traditions in the late Epipalaeolithic of southwest Asia. An alternative explanation for morphological variability is proposed which emphasizes the dynamic aspects of lithic technology in hunter-gatherer societies and questions current explanations of culture change.

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Papers
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Antiquity , Volume 68 , Issue 259 , June 1994 , pp. 275 - 288
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 1994

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