Between Observations and Models

While it is the domain of “fossil hunting” that receives immediate media attention, Paleolithic archaeology entails no minor commitment to adequately explore issues of site formation processes, stone artifacts, human and animal bone taphonomy, spatial distribution of various elements—all of which are components in reconstructing past societies. Going through the papers in this volume, readers undoubtedly will recognize that we, Paleolithic archaeologists, are improving our understanding of some processes of human evolution and, in particular, of those related to the emergence of what we call “modern behavior.” Encouragingly, even a cursory examination of the literature published since the 1950s shows an exponential increase in the number of investigators, regions examined and sites excavated. The removal of geopolitical boundaries in eastern Europe and most of Asia, the rapidly growing number of projects in many countries, including China, and the increase in communication and diffusion of ideas and techniques (in part due to the World Wide Web), all facilitate the advancement of Paleolithic research and make room for a lot of optimism about the possibilities and abilities of our discipline.