Week 7: February 21, 2005

Topic: Evolution, Archaeology, and Material Objects

Key Questions:
How does evolutionary theory in archaeology apply to contemporary notions of technology and the transmission of artifacts and ideas?
What could it mean to create material artifacts using the tools of ancient peoples or ancient apes?

Readings:

Egenter, Nold.   1990. "Ape Architects." on the Implosion Website

Leonard, Robert. 2001. "Evolutionary Archaeology." in Archaeological Theory Today. Ian Hodder, Editor. Blackwell Publishing: Malden, MA.
Chapter 3: pp. 65-97

Price, Sally.       2001. Primitive Art in Civilized Places. University of Chicago Press: Chicago, IL.
Chapter 6: pp. 82-99

Thomas, Julian.  2001. "Archaeologies of Place and Landscape." in Archaeological Theory Today. Ian Hodder, Editor. Blackwell Publishing: Malden, MA.
Chapter 7: pp. 165-186

Assignments Due:

Concept Journal iteration #4 (2 pages)

How would your concept change if you analysed it using Darwin's theory of evolution?