Stone tools are the most durable and common type of
archaeological remain and one of the most important sources of
information about behaviors of early hominins. Stone Tools and
the Evolution of Human Cognition develops methods for
examining questions of cognition, demonstrating the progression of
mental capabilities from early hominins to modern humans through
the archaeological record.
Dating as far back as 2.5-2.7 million years ago, stone tools
were used in cutting up animals, woodworking, and preparing
vegetable matter. Today, lithic remains give archaeologists insight
into the forethought, planning, and enhanced working memory of our
early ancestors. Contributors focus on multiple ways in which
archaeologists can investigate the relationship between tools and
the evolving human mind-including joint attention, pattern
recognition, memory usage, and the emergence of language.
Offering a wide range of approaches and diversity of place and
time, the chapters address issues such as skill, social learning,
technique, language, and cognition based on lithic technology.
Stone Tools and the Evolution of Human Cognition will be
of interest to Paleolithic archaeologists and paleoanthropologists
interested in stone tool technology and cognitive evolution.
eISBN: 978-1-60732-031-9
Subjects: Sociology, Anthropology
Table of Contents
You are viewing the table of contents
You do not have access to this
book
on JSTOR. Try logging in through your institution for access.