Journal of Archaeological Science 1985,12,397-404

Book Reviews 2nd Fish Osteoarchaeology Meeting. Edited by N. Desse-Berset. 1984. 200 pp., figures. Paris: C.R.N.S. (Centre de Recherches Archlologiques Notes et Monographies Techniques No. 16). 70.00NF. ISBN 2 222 03563 5.

This is a collection of 14 papers concerning fishes and archaeology which were presented at the second “Fish Osteoarchaeology” meeting at Valbonne, France, in October 1983. Produced from camera-ready copy on good quality art paper which allows the illustrations to be reproduced at a high quality, this is an attractively produced book with an aptly designed paper cover. The papers are reproduced either in French or English but all have a resume in both languages.

As with any volume of conference contributions these papers are varied in concept, content and execution. They range from the straight summary of fauna1 remains from several sites in the Big Cypress Swamp in Florida by Elizabeth S. Wing, a model of compressed analysis of results and their significance, to a proposal by Jean Desse for the preparation of a set of “Fiche d’identifi- cation” for fishes which will illustrate the archaeologically significant bones of fishes and give parameters for size, weight and age estimation for the species. Fish osteoarchaeology appears to attract hypothetical programmes which bear little relevance to the needs of archaeologists. Other contributions are possibly more realistic. Georges Desse has produced yet another contribution to the methodology of identification of fish vertebrae by radiography, in his essay “Nouvelle con- tribution a la diagnose des pieces rachidiennes des poissons”, and Francois J. Meunier presents a paper showing that by histological study of archaeological vertebrae it is possible to distinguish the bones of trout and pike. It is, of course, possible to do so visually as well. An essay on the effects of the mammalian digestion on fish bones by Andrew K. G. Jones examines the survival of, and damage to, the bones of a moderately large fish when ingested by a dog, and a study of what happens to a kippered herring’s bones when eaten by a human. Not surprisingly, the bones eaten by the dog were mostly fragmented and partially digested.

Several papers present results of study of fish bone assemblages and their interpretation. Sarah Colley, in an authoritative report of work on several sites in the Orkney Islands, concludes that many of the differences of identified fishes between sites result from rubbish disposal, differential preservation, and excavation and sampling techniques. The beheading of some of the fish represented at the site further skews the results. The study of Palaeolithic fish remains from France by Olivier Le Gall produces a valuable analysis of methods of identification for freshwater fishes. His tentative conclusion that salmon bones are represented in one Mediterranean site is interesting zoogeographically.

In general, this is an interesting and useful presentation of papers about fish remains in archae- ology. It shows that practitioners of this art are getting the act together, but some are still tempted by hypothetical schemes which have little application to the real world, and there is still a gulf between ichthyologists and archaeologists. What is perhaps needed at a future meeting is a clear appraisal of the directions their discipline should take and its relation to the major needs of environmental archaeology.

Alwyne Wheeler, British Museum (Natural History),

London S W7 SBD

Hominid Evolution and Community Ecology. Edited by R. Foley. 1984. 296 pp., tables, figures. New York: Academic Press (Studies in Archaeology Series). $37.50. ISBN 0 12 261920 X.

This book arose from a session organized by the editor in 1981 as part of the third Theoretical Archaeology Group conference. As is implicit in this title, it is concerned with studying our

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BOOK REVIEWS

evolutionary past in terms of the ecological communities to which our ancestors belonged, along with their competitors, predators and prey, all of which would have influenced our evolution. It thus affords another welcome example of how studies of early man are moving from investigating our ancestors either in isolation from other animals, or as merely a bipedal and later tool-making primate that responded only to changes in climate.

The volume is best seen as comprising three sections. After an introductory statement by Foley on the value of seeing paleoanthropology and Palaeolithic archaeology within a broad evolution- ary framework, he discusses briefly the aims and outlook for each contributor. Roberts next reviews Pleistocene climatic change and neatly indicates the quiet revolution brought about in this subject over the past I5 years by analyses of deep sea cores; he usefully looks also at the biological implications of these changes over the past 2 Myr. The fossil record for hominid evolution is reviewed by Stringer, a well-known protagonist in the Neanderthal debate. Any reviewer who attempts to write an overview for a book of a field as fast-changing and contentious as human evolution deserves sympathy; this paper has weathered the changes since 1981 remarkably well, and is commendably frank about the major uncertainties. It is, however, indicative of the fast pace of this field that some parts already seem dubious: for example, the dates of the earliest Asian hominid sites have been greatly reduced since the book went to press, thereby altering arguments over when hominids first appeared outside Africa. Foley’s main paper looks at our evolution in Plio-Pleistocene E Africa in term’s of Van Valen’s “Red Queen” model, in which the underlying idea is that animals evolve primarily to maintain their ecological status quo in a changing world. This paper is lively, stimulating, informed and cogent, and should be read by anyone studying or teaching the E African evidence for early hominids.

The middle section of the book focuses on E African data. Hill and Potts each consider different aspects of the fauna1 data from localities such as Olduvai Bed I. Hill examines the bone-collecting behaviour of hyaena, and shows the shortcomings of many of the criteria used initially to deter- mine that hominids were responsible for the Olduvai bone concentrations. He also indicates how these differ from present-day hyaena bone accumulations, and the need to consider multiple explanations for this kind of data. Potts considers the Olduvai material in greater detail, and shows how and why views have changed in the last few years since many of these localities were explained as “home bases”, and thus indicative of essentially “human” behaviour. This paper pairs well with another recent one by Potts (1984) and clearly shows that the analysis of these sites continues to be no less fascinating than was their initial discovery. Gowlett considers the most traditional type of palaeolithic evidence, the stone tools. This paper too shows how much things have changed over the last I5 years, and not least in this area because the main value of stone tools is no longer seen in terms of dating. His paper is shrewd and resourceful, and provides a useful starting point for considering other aspects of palaeolithic tool production.

The final section examines later developments outside Africa. Turner considers the expansion of hominids into Asia, temperate Europe, N America and Australia in the light of that of other predators, and shows how our own past can be illuminated by study of the histories of carnivores such as lion, wolf and hyaena. Scott considers the climatic archaeological evidence from the glacial maximum at 18 ky in Britain, and the wider significance of what is otherwise very scrappy data. Garrard ends with a discussion of Pleistocene extinctions in the Levant; this paper usefully supplements a recent one by Tchernov (1984) for those interested in this wider issue.

Overall, this is a stimulating set of papers providing clear evidence that both palaeoanthropology and palaeolithic archaeology are alive and well. Particularly encouraging is the catholic nature of these disciplines, and their healthy appetite for contributions from a wide range of -ists and -ologies. Foley and the contributors have produced a lively volume that should be read by anyone interested in current thinking about human evolution.

Robin Dennell, Dept of Prehistory and Archaeology,

University of Shejield

References Potts, R. (1984). Home bases and early hominids. American Scientist 72, 338-347. Tchernov, E. (1984). Fauna1 turnover and extinction rate in the Levant. In (P. S. Martin & R. G.

Klein, Eds) Quaternary Extinctions, pp. 528-552. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.