Dissertation Research: Behavioral Change and Regional Variation across the Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition

在Dr. Ofer Bar-Yosef的指导下，Gilbert Tostevin先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。大约4万年前，旧石器时代晚期的考古工业出现在西欧。它们与解剖学意义上的现代人类的首次出现有关，其中包含精心制作的专门石器，以及精心雕刻的骨骼和象牙雕像，这些雕像为人类的认知能力提供了令人信服的证据。然而，在进入欧洲的过程中，旧石器时代晚期的起源点是未知的。为了回答这个问题，托斯特文将分析29个考古组合，这些组合的年代在6万到3万年前之间，来自欧亚大陆西部和近东的关键地区。虽然有许多考古学家对这些材料进行了研究，但研究是在区域背景下进行的，并采用了个性化的分析技术，这使得跨时间和空间的大范围比较是不可能的。之所以选择中欧（特别是捷克共和国）、东欧（乌克兰）、东南欧（保加利亚）和黎凡特（以色列）等目标地区，是因为这些地区的考古组合对这个问题很重要，而且用于获取这些组合的挖掘技术也很出色。托斯特文先生将分析石器（石器工具）的组成，确定相似程度，然后在地理和时间背景下解释这些。这样，就有可能了解到起源点、时间、扩散速率和方向。托斯特文先生将专注于整个生产过程，而不是单独研究文物，他的比较更多地基于生产技术而不是成品。这项研究很重要，因为它将揭示解剖学和文化上现代人的出现和传播。它将产生许多考古学家感兴趣的大量一致的数据集，并有助于培养一名有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Ofer Bar-Yosef, Mr. Gilbert Tostevin will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. Approximately 40,000 years ago Upper Paleolithic archaeological industries appeared in Western Europe. They were associated with the first appearance of anatomically modern humans and contain finely made specialized stone tools as well as delicately carved bone and ivory figurines which provide compelling testimony for cognitive abilities comparable with our own. However point of origin for the Upper Paleolithic is unknown as in the process by which it entered Europe. To attempt to answer this question Mr. Tostevin will analyze 29 archaeological assemblages dating between 60,000 and 30,000 years ago from key regions in western Eurasia and the Near East. Although numerous archaeologists have worked on such materials, the research has proceeded in a regional context and employed individualized analytic techniques which make broad scale comparisons across time and space impossible. Target regions of Central Europe (specifically the Czech Republic), Eastern Europe (Ukraine), Southeastern Europe (Bulgaria) and the Levant (Israel) have been chosen because of the importance of their archaeological assemblages to this issue and to the excellent excavation techniques used to procure them. Mr. Tostevin will analyze the lithic (stone tool) components, determine degrees of similarity and then interpret these in a geographical and chronological context. In this way it should be possible gain insight into points and time of origin and rates and direction of diffusion. Rather than study artifacts alone, Mr. Tostevin will focus on the entire production process and base his comparisons more on production technique than finished product. This research is important because it will shed light on the appearance and spread of anatomically and culturally modern humans. It will produce a large and consistent data set of interest to many archaeologists and assist in training a promising young scientist.