The Origins and Dispersal of Modern Humans

signs? How do we obtain an anthropology or archaeolog of the activity? How are artifactand sign-making activities incorpc rated in our very story about the evolution of the "hu man mind" or human society? Is the humanness of th sign-making activity essential to what we say about i logically (after all, computers and porpoises use signs historically, or socioculturally? Without knowing the precise "meaning" of the sign can we still make useful and pointed statements abou the "archaeological" place of apparently representa tional activity in a society-e.g., about its chronology frequency, distribution, socioeconomic or other behav ioral correlates, and so on? Since instances of rock art are so widely distributed with many excellent corpuses, permitting sophisticates surveys and statistical analyses, what can rock art re search specifically contribute to the general develop ment of archaeopsychology? What are the successes/failures and methodologica assumptions of particular decipherments? -e.g., Mai shack on Paleolithic "calendars" and the "periodic" use reuse of "symbols," Bednarik on externalization of en toptic (phosphene) phenomena in "digital flutings,, Lewis-Williams on a complex iconography of trance ex perience in southern San rock painting, Davis on emei gence of image from nonimage, Leroi-Gourhan and Lam ing-Emperaire on sexual/social values of Paleolithi' motifs in a "figurative system," various readings of nai rative and/or mythological-religious depictions? The First International Congress on Rock Art (to b4 held in Darwin, Northern Territories, Australia, Augus 29-September 2, I988, under the auspices of the Austra lian Rock Art Research Association/Northern Territor' Museum of Arts and Sciences) will include a session oi the archaeopsychological interpretation of rock art ir which many of the questions raised above will be ad dressed by an international group of rock art researchers archaeologists, art historians, anthropologists, psycholo gists, philosophers, and others. As chair of the sym posium, and working with the Executive and Scientifi4 Committees of the Congress (G. Chaloupka and R. Bed narik, co-organizers), I am soliciting ideas, proposals, ab stracts or texts, arguments, and comments from th4 global community. The symposium should be a forun for original, advanced, or pioneering research and theory centering in part on the very definition of an "archaeo psychology" as such and on its interconnection witi other scientific and humanistic disciplines. All of th4 presentations in the remainder of the congress-th4 largest of its kind ever held, including regional studiez and up-to-date, in-depth reviews of current topics ii rock art research-will serve as a source of possible "practical" applications and cultural or historical "ex amples. " No fixed protocols have been established fo presentations. However, a special priority will be giver to methodological and philosophical analysis, to cross disciplinary discussion, to new voices and terminolo gies, and to dialectic, debate, and interpretive pluralism Anyone interested in taking part in the symposium at any level-as speaker, discussant, panelist, sceptic, or heckler-is invited to write to the Australian organizers (AURA, P.O. Box 2I6, Caulfield South 3I62, Victoria, Australia) or to write or phone me (312-49i-8030). A starting point for a communication could be a reaction to any of the statements or questions above, including the definition of the field and what are bound to be numerous ambiguities, omissions, and infelicities.