The hominid individual in context : archaeological investigations of lower and middle Palaeolithic landscapes, locales and artefacts /

Gamble and Porr have produced another in a growing list of volumes that attempt to isolate the work of individuals in the archaeological record. The authors of the various chapters do not ask if such identification is even possible; rather, they take for granted that it is and proceed from there. As the title indicates, the focus of the chapters is the Lower and Middle Paleolithic periods--a stretch of time that runs from about 2.5 million years ago, marked by the earliest appearance of stone tools, to about 40,000 years ago, marked by the appearance of fully modern humans. Most archaeological deposits, regardless of age, are palimpsests--amalgams of items deposited over some period of time. Hence, it is difficult to identify the work of individuals, regardless of the importance analysts might place on them. Having said that, the various chapter authors adequately demonstrate that with incredible care during fieldwork, it is possible in some instances to cut through the seemingly impenetrable noise of an archaeological site and identify the work of individuals. The chapters are very well written and referenced, and the drawings and maps add substantially to the discussions. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. M. J. O'Brien University of Missouri--Columbia