ABSTRACT
In the archeological assemblages associated with anatomically modern man, peoples can discern clearly definable style zones, bounded areas in which stylistic attributes are seen to cluster. Such style zones characterize the terminal Pleistocene assemblages of both the New World and the Old World. The function of style is thought to be a means of either group or individual identification with a product or class of products. No such style zones can be seen in earlier Pleistocene assemblages. It is a truism that handaxes from South Africa, northern France, and southern England are remarkably similar. The stylistic differences observable in earlier assemblages would appear to fit the model of cultural drift, the accretion of small changes or variations which give the appearance through time of directional change. The distinction between style zones and clines is important, since a zone is a bounded area formally distinct from adjacent regions.
