The Movius Line 70 years later

Organizer: Fumiko Ikawa-Smith, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
 
Abstract
It was nearly 70 years ago when Hallam L. Movius’ now famous map dividing the early Palaeolithic Old World into the Hand-Axe and Chopping-tool culture areas was published. The Movius Line, controversial from the outset, has been the subject of active discussion in recent years. With the discoveries of bifacially-flaked heavy tools from early formations in various parts of East and Southeast Asia, some researchers advocate that the concept of the Movius Line should now be discarded, while others maintain that the Line is still useful in a modified sense (sensu lato). We will hear both sides of the argument, based on site-specific (or region-specific) data, and from a broadly comparative perspective, followed by a free-flowing discussion.