Paleolithic Archaeology and Human Paleontology in East Asia - A View from the West

Despite the fact that Paleolithic archaeology and human paleontology both subscribe to the overarching conceptual framework of evolutionary biology, their research protocols and conclusions tend to be characterized by a degree of separation because of an understandable tendency for individual researchers to emphasize the field with which they have the greatest familiarity. The result is a ‘fuzzy set’ of partly overlapping, partly discrete research conclusions that are sometimes difficult to reconcile with one another. Written from the perspective of an ‘outsider,’ this short paper surveys the evidence for human biological and cultural evolution in East Asia and attempts to identify issues and questions that might repay further investigation. Archaeology is more than simply a collection of facts. The conceptual frameworks we use to investigate the past play a crucial role in how we assign meaning to it.