Inferring cultural reproduction from lithic data: A critical review

Cheng Liu, Dietrich Stout

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

The cultural reproduction of lithic technology, long an implicit assumption of archaeological theories, has garnered increasing attention over the past decades. Major debates ranging from the origins of the human culture capacity to the interpretation of spatiotemporal patterning now make explicit reference to social learning mechanisms and cultural evolutionary dynamics. This burgeoning literature has produced important insights and methodological innovations. However, this rapid growth has sometimes led to confusion and controversy due to an under-examination of underlying theoretical and methodological assumptions. The time is thus ripe for a critical assessment of progress in the study of the cultural reproduction of lithic technology. Here we review recent work addressing the evolutionary origins of human culture and the meaning of artifact variation at both intrasite and intersite levels. We propose that further progress will require a more extended and context-specific evolutionary approach to address the complexity of real-world cultural reproduction.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)83-99
Number of pages17
JournalEvolutionary Anthropology
Volume32
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2023
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Keywords

  • archaeological evidence
  • cultural evolution
  • cultural transmission
  • extended evolutionary synthesis
  • lithic technology
  • social learning

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Anthropology

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