Advancing the science of Paleolithic archaeology: the Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951-2018)

In a career spanning four decades, Harold Dibble’s work had a profound impact on 1) the interpretation of Mousterian variability, 2) our understanding of lithic technology, 3) our evaluation of Neanderthal cultural behavior, and 4) the methods we use to excavate Paleolithic sites. Underlying his contributions within each of these fields was his unwavering commitment to Paleolithic archaeology as a scientific endeavor. This commitment to science included hypothesis testing, quantification of data, statistical evaluation of the significance of results, and public sharing of raw data. Moreover, Dibble continually challenged himself and the rest of the paleoanthropological community to reject ‘received wisdom’ and to test everything that we assume we know about how stone tools were made, how hominins behaved, and how archaeological sites were formed.

His legacy is built upon new data that he contributed to the field of Paleolithic archaeology through the excavation of numerous sites in France, most of which are fully published, and a survey and excavation in North Africa. These data have added key knowledge to our understanding of Middle Paleolithic industrial variability and Neanderthal cultural adaptations. Additionally, through a rigorous program of highly controlled experiments in lithic technology, he and his team generated fundamental new insights into the relationship between flaking mechanics and artifact morphology. A symposium held at the Society for American Archaeology’s 88th Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon brought together Dibble’s students and colleagues to present new developments in research projects he launched, independent research programs directly inspired by his teachings, and to reflect on his legacy and the way in which it has changed the future of Paleolithic archaeology. This volume brings together these papers as a lasting tribute to one of the most influential figures in the field in recent memory.