The Archaeology of Human Ancestry: Power, s** and Tradition (Theoretical Archae

Taylor & Francis

Archaeologists and biological anthroplogists set out their methods for reconstructing the social systems and cultural traditions of our ancestors; an essential introduction to the subject for advanced undergraduates and researchers. > \nHuman social life is constrained and defined by our cognitive and emotional dispositions, which are the legacy of our foraging ancestors. But how difficult is it to reconstruct the social systems and cultural traditions of those ancestors?\nThe Archaeology of Human Ancestry provides a stimulating and provocative answer, in which archaeologists and biological anthropologists set out and demonstrate their reconstructive methods. Contributors use observations of primates and modern hunter-gatherers to illuminate the fossil and artefactual records. Thematic treatment covers the evolution of group size; group composition and the emotional structure of social bonds; sexual dimorphism and the sexual division of labour; and the origins of human cultural trs