Assistant Professor of Anthropology Nathan Goodale is an editor with Washington State University Professor William Andrefsky, Jr., of a new book. Lithic Technological Systems and Evolutionary Theory was published this month by Cambridge University Press.
According to the publisher’s website, “Stone tool analysis relies on a strong background in analytical and methodological techniques. However, lithic technological analysis has not been well integrated with a theoretically-informed approach to understanding how humans procured, made, and used stone tools. Evolutionary theory has great potential to fill this gap.
“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, risk management, macroevolution, dual inheritance theory, cladistics, central place foraging, costly signaling, selection, drift, and various applications of evolutionary ecology.”
The publisher also notes that this is “The first time lithic technological analysis has been blended with evolutionary theory in a series of related thematic papers,” and predicts the book will be of interest to scholars of archaeology, anthropology, behavioral ecology, and ancient history. The book includes 15 maps and nearly 100 line drawings to illustrate lithic technologies and relevant data.
