The Ancient Mind: Elements of Cognitive Archaeology

New Directions in Archaeology

by Colin Renfrew, Ezra B.W. Zubrow (Editor)

One of the most troubling problems in archaeology is to determine the manner and content of prehistoric thought. A fundamental challenge is to develop the theory, methodology and tools to understand human cognition. Cognitive archaeology as a subject is still in its infancy, and archaeologists are adopting a variety of approaches--literary, linguistic, and scientific. The contributors to The Ancient Mind develop a new direction in prehistoric cognitive research that is rooted in the scientific tradition and in an empirical methodology. Together, they begin to develop a science of cognitive archaeology.

Genres: Archaeology, Science, History, Prehistory, Anthropology

212 pages, Paperback

First published May 26, 1994

About the author

Andrew Colin Renfrew, Baron Renfrew of Kaimsthorn was a British archaeologist, paleolinguist and Conservative peer noted for his work on radiocarbon dating, the prehistory of languages, archaeogenetics, neuroarchaeology, and the prevention of looting at archaeological sites.
Renfrew was also the Disney Professor of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and was a Senior Fellow of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.

Reviews

[Lee Broderick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Colin Renfrew kicks off this book with a highly amusing (and largely fair) attack on post-processualists before admitting that its purpose is in no small part to incorporate post-processual theory into processual method.

Nathan Schlanger outlines the history of chaîne opératoire approaches to lithic analysis and its cognitive underpinnings. In chapter fifteen, Karlin and Julien describe the insights that can be made into collective enterprise and apprenticeships through the adoption of a approach to lithic analysis.