The Palaeolithic Settlement of Europe (Cambridge World Archaeology) [Paperback]

Clive Gamble (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 1986 | ISBN-10: 0521287642 | ISBN-13: 978-0521287647

A major survey of the prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies of Europe, this book reviews the topical information and interpretations for scientific research. Palaeolithic studies are at an exciting point of transition. The explosion in ethno-archaeological studies has fundamentally challenged our models and interpretations amongst all classes of data and at all spatial scales of analysis. Furthermore the traditional concerns of dating and quaternary studies have also passed through their own revolutions and palaeolithic archaeology is the direct beneficiary. Dr Gamble presents in an imaginative but comprehensive framework our changing perspectives of Europe's oldest societies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The rich ... documentation and first class presentation of this book will make it a basic reference in English language Palaeolithic studies for many years to come.' Nature

Book Description

A major survey of the prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies of Europe, this book reviews the topical information and interpretations for scientific research. Dr Gamble presents in an imaginative but comprehensive framework our changing perspectives of Europe's oldest societies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 492 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (September 26, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521287642
• ISBN-13: 978-0521287647
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,463,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insights Buried in Data, March 18, 2002

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William A. Adams (Bainbridge Island, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Palaeolithic Settlement of Europe (Cambridge World Archaeology) (Hardcover)

This book attempts to analyze European culture over the 500,000 years before history despite the fact that culture is not directly preserved in the archaeological record. The analysis is ingenious. The author draws on scientific evidence such as skeletons, stone tools, hearth sites, etc. and asks of each element, "How could this have fit into a society?" For example, if you have an old stone age hand axe, you can fell small trees. Presumably you would do so, repeatedly. That's a lot of chopping. Chopping would become a well-practiced gesture in your behavioral repertoire. Would it become generalized to other situations? It's reasonable to think that it would. What could you do with that gesture? Could you use it to communicate? To think abstractly about obstacles in general? The traversal from scientific data point to psychological and social inference is performed repeatedly in the book. It's exciting, very Sherlock-Holmesy. The book is quite difficult to read, especially for the non specialist, like me. It is thick with scientific jargon and dense with minutia. But every few pages there is one of these terrific inferences that makes you think again about how our very earliest ancestors lived.