What do you think?
Rate this book
Convergent Evolution in Stone-Tool Technology
Scholars from a variety of disciplines consider cases of convergence in lithic technology, when functional or developmental constraints result in similar forms in independent lineages.
Hominins began using stone tools at least 2.6 million years ago, perhaps even 3.4 million years ago. Given the nearly ubiquitous use of stone tools by humans and their ancestors, the study of lithic technology offers an important line of inquiry into questions of evolution and behavior. This book examines convergence in stone tool-making, cases in which functional or developmental constraints result in similar forms in independent lineages. Identifying examples of convergence, and distinguishing convergence from divergence, refutes hypotheses that suggest physical or cultural connection between far-flung prehistoric toolmakers. Employing phylogenetic analysis and stone-tool replication, the contributors show that similarity of tools can be caused by such common constraints as the fracture properties of stone or adaptive challenges rather than such unlikely phenomena as migration of toolmakers over an Arctic ice shelf.
Contributors
R. Alexander Bentley, Briggs Buchanan, Marcelo Cardillo, Mathieu Charbonneau, Judith Charlin, Chris Clarkson, Loren G. Davis, Metin I. Eren, Peter Hiscock, Thomas A. Jennings, Steven L. Kuhn, Daniel E. Lieberman, George R. McGhee, Alex Mackay, Michael J. O'Brien, Charlotte D. Pevny, Ceri Shipton, Ashley M. Smallwood, Heather Smith, Jayne Wilkins, Samuel C. Willis, Nicolas Zayns
Hominins began using stone tools at least 2.6 million years ago, perhaps even 3.4 million years ago. Given the nearly ubiquitous use of stone tools by humans and their ancestors, the study of lithic technology offers an important line of inquiry into questions of evolution and behavior. This book examines convergence in stone tool-making, cases in which functional or developmental constraints result in similar forms in independent lineages. Identifying examples of convergence, and distinguishing convergence from divergence, refutes hypotheses that suggest physical or cultural connection between far-flung prehistoric toolmakers. Employing phylogenetic analysis and stone-tool replication, the contributors show that similarity of tools can be caused by such common constraints as the fracture properties of stone or adaptive challenges rather than such unlikely phenomena as migration of toolmakers over an Arctic ice shelf.
Contributors
R. Alexander Bentley, Briggs Buchanan, Marcelo Cardillo, Mathieu Charbonneau, Judith Charlin, Chris Clarkson, Loren G. Davis, Metin I. Eren, Peter Hiscock, Thomas A. Jennings, Steven L. Kuhn, Daniel E. Lieberman, George R. McGhee, Alex Mackay, Michael J. O'Brien, Charlotte D. Pevny, Ceri Shipton, Ashley M. Smallwood, Heather Smith, Jayne Wilkins, Samuel C. Willis, Nicolas Zayns
304 pages, Paperback
Published May 21, 2024
1 person is currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Michael J. O'Brien
57 books2 followersMore info: http://www.tamusa.edu/officeofthepres...
My main areas of research focus on the integration of evolutionary theory into the social sciences, in particular archaeology and anthropology.
In the late 1990s, I began concentrating on the use of phylogenetic methods, especially cladistics, in archaeology. This was extremely controversial, as was the application of evolutionary principles to cultural phenomena generally. Today, however, evolutionary theory is well at home in archaeology, and studies employing phylogenetic methods appear routinely.
No one thinks or works in a vacuum, and over the years I've benefited from collaborative interactions with numerous archaeologists and other social scientists, especially Lee Lyman and Todd VanPool (University of Missouri) and Alex Mesoudi (Durham University). More recently, I have collaborated extensively with Mark Collard (Simon Fraser University), Briggs Buchanan (University of Tulsa), and Matt Boulanger (University of Missouri) on various aspects of Paleoindian occupation of North America.
I also collaborate with Kevin Laland (St Andrews University) on niche-construction theory as it applies to the archaeological record and with Alex Bentley (Bristol University) and Buz Brock (University of Missouri) on a wide range of topics, especially human learning and decision making in the face of unclear risks and payoffs. Our new paper, "Mapping collective behavior in the big-data era," came out earlier this year in Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
On the personal side, I have a wonderful wife, Gloria, five grown kids, and a lazy cat, Marley, who pretty much rules the house.
My main areas of research focus on the integration of evolutionary theory into the social sciences, in particular archaeology and anthropology.
In the late 1990s, I began concentrating on the use of phylogenetic methods, especially cladistics, in archaeology. This was extremely controversial, as was the application of evolutionary principles to cultural phenomena generally. Today, however, evolutionary theory is well at home in archaeology, and studies employing phylogenetic methods appear routinely.
No one thinks or works in a vacuum, and over the years I've benefited from collaborative interactions with numerous archaeologists and other social scientists, especially Lee Lyman and Todd VanPool (University of Missouri) and Alex Mesoudi (Durham University). More recently, I have collaborated extensively with Mark Collard (Simon Fraser University), Briggs Buchanan (University of Tulsa), and Matt Boulanger (University of Missouri) on various aspects of Paleoindian occupation of North America.
I also collaborate with Kevin Laland (St Andrews University) on niche-construction theory as it applies to the archaeological record and with Alex Bentley (Bristol University) and Buz Brock (University of Missouri) on a wide range of topics, especially human learning and decision making in the face of unclear risks and payoffs. Our new paper, "Mapping collective behavior in the big-data era," came out earlier this year in Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
On the personal side, I have a wonderful wife, Gloria, five grown kids, and a lazy cat, Marley, who pretty much rules the house.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.