ABSTRACT

The remains that archaeologists uncover reveal ancient minds at work as much as ancient hands, and for decades many have sought a better way of understanding those minds. This understanding is at the forefront of cognitive archaeology, a discipline that believes that a greater application of psychological theory to archaeology will further our understanding of the evolution of the human mind.

Bringing together a diverse range of experts including archaeologists, psychologists, anthropologists, biologists, psychiatrists, neuroscientists, historians, and philosophers, in one comprehensive volume, this accessible and illuminating book is an important resource for students and researchers exploring how the application of cognitive archaeology can significantly and meaningfully deepen their knowledge of early and ancient humans. This seminal volume opens the field of cognitive archaeology to scholars across the behavioral sciences.

part I|134 pages

Prehistory from the perspective of physiological and developmental psychology

chapter 1|16 pages

Introduction

What would Wundt think?
ByEdward P. Kardas, Tracy B. Henley

chapter 2|17 pages

Before, after, and Alongside the Excavation

How to think about the evolution and history of physiology and development
ByMelvin Konner

chapter 3|22 pages

Life History Evolution in Hominins

ByJon Oxford, David C. Geary

chapter 4|28 pages

Evolution of Hormonal Mechanisms for Human Family Relationships

ByHeather Habecker, Mark V. Flinn

chapter 5|18 pages

The Evolution and Development of Morality

ByDennis L. Krebs

chapter 6|16 pages

In Search of Baselines

Why psychology needs cognitive archaeology
ByDarcia Narvaez

chapter 7|15 pages

Play

A neglected factor in ritual, religion, and human evolution
ByGordon M. Burghardt

part II|149 pages

Prehistory from the perspective of cognitive psychology

chapter 8|16 pages

The Origins of Generativity

ByMichael C. Corballis

chapter 9|21 pages

Three Stages in the Evolution of Human Cognition

Normativity, recursion, and abstraction
ByCeri Shipton

chapter 10|22 pages

The Evolution of Learning and Memory in Humans

Comparative perspectives on testing adaptive hypotheses
ByMark A. Krause, Crickette Sanz

chapter 12|21 pages

Exploring the Psychological basis for Transitions in the Archaeological Record

ByLiane Gabora, Cameron M. Smith

chapter 14|23 pages

The Role of Expert Technical Cognition in Human Evolution

ByThomas Wynn, Frederick L. Coolidge

part III|128 pages

Prehistory from the perspective of social psychology

chapter 15|9 pages

Key Cognitive Preconditions for the Evolution of Language

ByMerlin Donald

chapter 17|22 pages

Markers of “Psycho-Cultural” Change

The early-Neolithic monuments of Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey
ByOliver Dietrich, Jens Notroff, Sebastian Walter, Laura Dietrich

chapter 18|21 pages

How Ritual made us Human

ByMatt J. Rossano

chapter 20|23 pages

Norms and their Evolution

ByKim Sterelny

chapter 21|15 pages

Power, Play, and Interplay

The psychology of prehistoric sexuality
ByTimothy Taylor

part IV|134 pages

Prehistory from the perspective of personality and clinical psychology

chapter 22|16 pages

Domestic Fire, Domestic Selves

How keeping fire facilitated the evolution of emotions and emotion regulation
ByTerrence Twomey

chapter 23|20 pages

Psychology in Archaeology

The secret society case
ByBrian Hayden

chapter 24|20 pages

The Archaeology of Madness

ByDavid S. Whitley

chapter 25|28 pages

The Prehistory of Psychoactive Drug Use

ByEdward H. Hagen, Shannon Tushingham

chapter 26|13 pages

The Lure of Death

Suicide and human evolution
ByNicholas Humphrey

chapter 27|14 pages

From Corpse to Symbol

Proposed cognitive grades over the long-term evolution of hominin mortuary activity
ByPaul Pettitt

chapter 28|9 pages

Afterword

Psychology and archaeology – the past’s long reach
ByMatt J. Rossano, Tracy B. Henley, Edward P. Kardas