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Archaeology retains a central role for studying the behavioral and cognitive evolution of our species and genus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 January 2025

Manuel Will Open the ORCID record for Manuel Will [Opens in a new window]
Manuel Will*
Affiliation:
Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany manuel.will@uni-tuebingen.de https://uni-tuebingen.de/fakultaeten/mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche-fakultaet/fachbereiche/geowissenschaften/arbeitsgruppen/urgeschichte-naturwissenschaftliche-archaeologie/ina/aeltere-urgeschichte-quartaeroekologie/mitarbeiter/professoren-privatdozentinnen-und-privatdozenten/priv-doz-dr-manuel-will/ Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Our species' behavioral and cognitive evolution constitute a key research topic across many scientific disciplines. Based on ethnographic hunter-gatherer data, Stibbard-Hawkes challenges the common link made between past material culture and cognitive capacities. Despite this adequate criticism, archaeology must retain a central role for studying these issues due to its unique access to relevant empirical evidence in deep time.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 48 , 2025 , e22
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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