Cognitive Archaeology Covers All of the Human Past, but It

Essay

Cognitive archaeology covers all of the human past, but it can be divided into two broad areas of concern: (1) the study of the cognitive facilities of early hominins and archaic humans, the relationships between toolmaking and cognitive abilities, the origins of language, and the social contexts of early human behavior; and (2) the major developments of the past 40,000 years-the cognitive aspects of the origins of food production and civilization. Explain why it is important to look at the past in this way and not just from a cultural ecological approach.