Macroevolution In Human Prehistory

Author : Anna Prentiss,Ian Kuijt,James C. Chatters
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2009-09-18
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781441906823

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Macroevolution in Human Prehistory by Anna Prentiss,Ian Kuijt,James C. Chatters Pdf

Cultural evolution, much like general evolution, works from the assumption that cultures are descendent from much earlier ancestors. Human culture manifests itself in forms ranging from the small bands of hunters, through intermediate scale complex hunter-gatherers and farmers, to the high density urban settlements and complex polities that characterize much of today’s world. The chapters in the volume examine the dynamic interaction between the micro- and macro-scales of cultural evolution, developing a theoretical approach to the archaeological record that has been termed evolutionary processual archaeology. The contributions in this volume integrate positive elements of both evolutionary and processualist schools of thought. The approach, as explicated by the contributors in this work, offers novel insights into topics that include the emergence, stasis, collapse and extinction of cultural patterns, and development of social inequalities. Consequently, these contributions form a stepping off point for a significant new range of cultural evolutionary studies.

Author : Anna Prentiss,Ian Kuijt,James C. Chatters
Publisher : Springer
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2014-11-29
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 1489983856

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Macroevolution in Human Prehistory by Anna Prentiss,Ian Kuijt,James C. Chatters Pdf

Cultural evolution, much like general evolution, works from the assumption that cultures are descendent from much earlier ancestors. Human culture manifests itself in forms ranging from the small bands of hunters, through intermediate scale complex hunter-gatherers and farmers, to the high density urban settlements and complex polities that characterize much of today’s world. The chapters in the volume examine the dynamic interaction between the micro- and macro-scales of cultural evolution, developing a theoretical approach to the archaeological record that has been termed evolutionary processual archaeology. The contributions in this volume integrate positive elements of both evolutionary and processualist schools of thought. The approach, as explicated by the contributors in this work, offers novel insights into topics that include the emergence, stasis, collapse and extinction of cultural patterns, and development of social inequalities. Consequently, these contributions form a stepping off point for a significant new range of cultural evolutionary studies.

Author : Anna Marie Prentiss,Ian Kuijt,James C. Chatters
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2009-09
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1441906835

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Macroevolution in Human Prehistory by Anna Marie Prentiss,Ian Kuijt,James C. Chatters Pdf

Author : Clare L. Boulanger
Publisher : Waveland Press
Page : 398 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2012-04-23
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781478608103

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Biocultural Evolution by Clare L. Boulanger Pdf

In a writing style that will captivate those new to the subject, Boulanger presents an understanding of human biological and cultural evolution that is both scientific and humanistic, in keeping with classic anthropological ideals. The aim of this reasonably priced text is to help students think critically about what being human has been, what it is at present, and what it may be in the future. While the book focuses on the anthropological subfields of biological anthropology and archaeology, information and insights are also drawn from cultural anthropology and anthropological linguistics. Boulangers absorbing treatment, in contrast to other texts on human evolution, features an opening chapter that seeks to negotiate fairly, without defensiveness or condescension, a pathway for creationists to follow into the topic. The next three chapters provide background on the history of evolutionary science, the biology of inheritance and population change, and primatology. Chapters 5 through 9 focus on human biocultural evolution from the time of the ancestor we share with chimpanzees through the development of agriculture and the founding of states. The last chapter deals with the issue of racehow it has affected our interpretation of the past and how it continues to influence the present. In addition to an extensive glossary, the fully illustrated textbook features numerous topic-enhancing sidebars, questions for discussion and review, and student exercises.

Author : Anna Marie Prentiss
Publisher : Springer
Page : 443 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2019-06-03
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9783030111175

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Handbook of Evolutionary Research in Archaeology by Anna Marie Prentiss Pdf

Evolutionary Research in Archaeology seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of contemporary evolutionary research in archaeology. The book will provide a single source for introduction and overview of basic and advanced evolutionary concepts and research programs in archaeology. Content will be organized around four areas of critical research including microevolutionary and macroevolutionary process, human ecology studies (evolutionary ecology, demography, and niche construction), and evolutionary cognitive archaeology. Authors of individual chapters will address theoretical foundations, history of research, contemporary contributions and debates, and implications for the future for their respective topics. As appropriate, authors present or discuss short empirical case studies to illustrate key arguments. ​

Author : Pierre Pontarotti
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 345 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2011-07-20
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783642207631

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Evolutionary Biology – Concepts, Biodiversity, Macroevolution and Genome Evolution by Pierre Pontarotti Pdf

The annual Evolutionary Biology Meetings in Marseilles serve to gather leading scientists, promote the exchange of ideas and encourage the formation of international collaborations. This book contains the most essential contributions presented at the 14th Evolutionary Biology Meeting, which took place in September 2010. It comprises 19 chapters organized according to the following categories: · Evolutionary Biology Concepts · Biodiversity and Evolution · Macroevolution · Genome Evolution Offering an up-to-date overview of recent results in the field of evolutionary biology, this book is an invaluable source of information for scientists, teachers and advanced students.

Author : Larissa Mendoza Straffon
Publisher : Springer
Page : 202 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2016-02-10
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783319259284

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Cultural Phylogenetics by Larissa Mendoza Straffon Pdf

This book explores the potential and challenges of implementing evolutionary phylogenetic methods in archaeological research, by discussing key concepts and presenting concrete applications of these approaches. The volume is divided into two parts: The first covers the theoretical and conceptual implications of using evolution-based models in the sociocultural domain, illustrates the sorts of questions that these methods can help answer, and invites the reader to reflect on the opportunities and limitations of these perspectives. The second part comprises case studies that address relevant empirical issues, such as inferring patterns and rates of cultural transmission, detecting selective pressures in cultural evolution, and explaining the nature of cultural variation. This book will appeal to archaeologists interested in applying evolutionary thinking and inferential methods to their field, and to anyone interested in cultural evolution studies.

Author : Society for American Archaeology. Annual Meeting
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 319 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2015-01-22
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781107026469

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Lithic Technological Systems and Evolutionary Theory by Society for American Archaeology. Annual Meeting Pdf

This collection of essays brings together several different evolutionary perspectives to demonstrate how lithic technological systems are a byproduct of human behavior. The essays cover a range of topics, including human behavioral ecology, cultural transmission, phylogenetic analysis, macroevolution, and various applications of evolutionary ecology.

Author : Anna Marie Prentiss,Ian Kuijt
Publisher : UBC Press
Page : 258 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : History
ISBN : 9780774821681

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People of the Middle Fraser Canyon by Anna Marie Prentiss,Ian Kuijt Pdf

The Middle Fraser Canyon contains some of the most important archaeological sites in British Columbia, including the remains of ancient villages that supported hundreds, if not thousands, of people. How and why did these villages come into being? Why were they abandoned? In search of answers to these questions, Prentiss and Kuijt take readers on a voyage of discovery into the ancient history of the St’át’imc, or Upper Lillooet, a people whose struggles and successes are brought to vivid life through photographs, artistic and fictionalized reconstructions of life in the villages, and discussions of evidence from archaeological surveys and excavations.

Author : Emanuele Serrelli,Nathalie Gontier
Publisher : Springer
Page : 407 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2015-02-13
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783319150451

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Macroevolution by Emanuele Serrelli,Nathalie Gontier Pdf

This book is divided in two parts, the first of which shows how, beyond paleontology and systematics, macroevolutionary theories apply key insights from ecology and biogeography, developmental biology, biophysics, molecular phylogenetics and even the sociocultural sciences to explain evolution in deep time. In the second part, the phenomenon of macroevolution is examined with the help of real life-history case studies on the evolution of eukaryotic sex, the formation of anatomical form and body-plans, extinction and speciation events of marine invertebrates, hominin evolution and species conservation ethics. The book brings together leading experts, who explain pivotal concepts such as Punctuated Equilibria, Stasis, Developmental Constraints, Adaptive Radiations, Habitat Tracking, Turnovers, (Mass) Extinctions, Species Sorting, Major Transitions, Trends and Hierarchies – key premises that allow macroevolutionary epistemic frameworks to transcend microevolutionary theories that focus on genetic variation, selection, migration and fitness. Along the way, the contributing authors review ongoing debates and current scientific challenges; detail new and fascinating scientific tools and techniques that allow us to cross the classic borders between disciplines; demonstrate how their theories make it possible to extend the Modern Synthesis; present guidelines on how the macroevolutionary field could be further developed; and provide a rich view of just how it was that life evolved across time and space. In short, this book is a must-read for active scholars and because the technical aspects are fully explained, it is also accessible for non-specialists. Understanding evolution requires a solid grasp of above-population phenomena. Species are real biological individuals and abiotic factors impact the future course of evolution. Beyond observation, when the explanation of macroevolution is the goal, we need both evidence and theory that enable us to explain and interpret how life evolves at the grand scale.

Author : Michael Rosenberg
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 207 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2022-07-09
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9783031048630

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The Dynamics of Cultural Evolution by Michael Rosenberg Pdf

This book explores the nature of cultural and culturally structured social and behavioral entities, their evolutionary interactions, and the central role purposive behaviors play in those interactions. It, first, makes the case for cultural and cultural structured systems being considered as true entities bounded in time and space, and not ephemera in a constant state of becoming another system. Second, it examines how these entities interact to produce evolutionary culture change. It then argues that the intent of purposive behaviors is reliably knowable in the aggregate, at least when dealing with expressions of behavioral tendencies in the animal kingdom, humans included. Finally, the book references well documented behavioral tendencies for examples of proximate causation in the evolution of settled village societies and, following that, socially complex societies. Through these efforts, the book synthesizes the various approaches to the evolution of culture and provides a complete and comprehensive picture of the process. It provides a corrective to the tendency to view cultural systems as entirely open ended and as capable of changing in any direction; and also to treating cultural evolution as solely a result of selective forces, that is, in terms of only ultimate causation. This book provides an engaging and critical counterview to established theories of cultural evolution and is of interest to scholars and students of different disciplines, from anthropology and archeology, to evolutionary biology and epigenetics.

Author : Mark W Allen,Terry L Jones
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 426 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2016-07-01
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781315415956

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Violence and Warfare among Hunter-Gatherers by Mark W Allen,Terry L Jones Pdf

How did warfare originate? Was it human genetics? Social competition? The rise of complexity? Intensive study of the long-term hunter-gatherer past brings us closer to an answer. The original chapters in this volume examine cultural areas on five continents where there is archaeological, ethnographic, and historical evidence for hunter-gatherer conflict despite high degrees of mobility, small populations, and relatively egalitarian social structures. Their controversial conclusions will elicit interest among anthropologists, archaeologists, and those in conflict studies.

Author : Kenneth L. Feder
Publisher : McGraw-Hill Humanities, Social Sciences & World Languages
Page : 616 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0072549386

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The Past in Perspective by Kenneth L. Feder Pdf

This engaging introduction to the human prehistoric past presents the chronicle of human physical and cultural evolution. Rather than an encyclopedic, all-inclusive survey of the human evolutionary story, this text presents human prehistory within a framework of themes, issues, and debates.

Author : Gregory K. Dow,Clyde G. Reed
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 611 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2022-11-30
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781108879651

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Economic Prehistory by Gregory K. Dow,Clyde G. Reed Pdf

Around 15,000 years ago, almost all humans lived in small mobile foraging bands. By about 5,000 years ago, the first city-states had appeared. This radical transformation in human society laid the foundations for the modern world. We use economic logic and archaeological evidence to explain six key elements in this revolution: sedentism, agriculture, inequality, warfare, cities, and states. In our approach the ultimate cause of these events was climate change. We show how shifts in climate interacted with geography to drive technological innovation and population growth. The accumulation of population at especially rich locations led to creation of group property rights over land, stratification into elite and commoner classes, and warfare over land among rival elites. This set the stage for urbanization based on manufacturing or military defense and for elite-controlled states based on taxation. Our closing chapter shows how these developments eventually resulted in contemporary global civilization.

Author : Marcy Rockman,Joe Flatman
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 334 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2011-11-17
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781441998811

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Archaeology in Society by Marcy Rockman,Joe Flatman Pdf

The practiceof archaeology has many different facets: from academia, to government, tocultural resource management, to public media. Considering the place of archaeology in society means understanding the rolesthat archaeology has in the present day and a sense of the contributions thatit can make in each of these areas, both now and in the future. Archaeologistscome to the field to pursue a variety of interests: teaching, examininghistory, preserving the environment, or studying a specialized time period orinterest. The outside world has a number of other expectations of archaeology:preservation, tourism, and education, to name but a few. From a broad and varied background, the editors have compiled a rare group ofcontributors uniquely qualified to address questions about the current state ofarchaeology and its relevance in society. There is no single answer to thequestion of how the field of archaeology should develop, and what it can do forsociety. Instead,the authors in this volume lay out the many ways in which archaeology isrelevant to the present day - considering, for example, climate change, energyexploration, warfare, national identity, the importance of stories and how theyare told, and how and why opportunities to engage with the past throughmuseums, digs, television, classes, and the print media have the formsthey currently do - creating a state-of-the-art tool for archaeologists, policymakers and the public alike to understand the work of many in the fieldand address the challenges we all face.