Historical Perspectives on the European Transition from Middle to Upper Paleolithic

Abstract

This paper examines the historical development of understandings of the transitions in Europe from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic and from Neanderthals to anatomically modern humans, and of the linkages (if any) between the two processes. Although the particular claims, and the databases supporting them, have changed greatly over time, the main line of contention regarding both transitions has been between advocated of rapid, even revolutionary change with a strong allochthonous component, versus those embracing gradual, primarily autochthonous transitions. Proponents of both approaches have proved to be adept at accommodating their views to changes in available data and theoretical approaches. Yet, as an emerging quasi-consensus on the fate of the Neanderthals indicates, these opposing approaches are not indefinitely able to avoid modification in the face of accumulating evidentiary patterns.