Quality of the Archaeological Record

Paleobiology struggled to influence our understanding of evolution and the history of life due to a focus on microevolution and an incredibly patchy fossil record. In the 1970s, paleobiologists began to investigate processes that could only be recognized in the fossil record across larger scales of time and space, leading to a new wave of macroevolutionary investigations and novel insights into the evolution of species. Charles Perreault proposes a more macroscale approach to making sense of the archaeological record, which reveals patterns and processes not visible within the span of a human lifetime but rather across an observation window thousands of years long and thousands of kilometers wide. By recalibrating their research to the quality of the archaeological record and developing a true macroarchaeology program, archaeologists can unleash the full contributive value of their discipline.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 19 July 2019
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Paleobiology, for decades, faced challenges in influencing our understanding of evolution and the history of life due to its focus on microevolution and a patchy fossil record. However, in the 1970s, the field underwent a radical transformation when paleobiologists began to investigate processes that could only be recognized in the fossil record across larger scales of time and space. This shift led to a new wave of macroevolutionary investigations, providing novel insights into the evolution of species and elevating the field's prominence within the biological sciences. In his book "The Quality of the Archaeological Record," Charles Perreault argues that archaeology faces a parallel problem and may find a model in the rise of paleobiology for a shift in the science and theory of the field. To achieve this, Perreault proposes a more macroscale approach to understanding the archaeological record, one that reveals patterns and processes not visible within a human lifetime but rather across an observation window spanning thousands of years and thousands of kilometers.

Just as with the fossil record, the archaeological record possesses the necessary scope to detect macroscale cultural phenomena. It can provide samples large enough to cancel out the noise generated by micro-scale events. By recalibrating their research to the quality of the archaeological record and developing a true macroarchaeology program, Perreault suggests that archaeologists can unlock the full contributive value of their discipline.

In conclusion, paleobiology's shift towards a macroevolutionary perspective in the 1970s paved the way for groundbreaking discoveries and insights into the evolution of life. By adopting a similar macroscale approach to understanding the archaeological record, archaeologists can unlock the full potential of their discipline and contribute to our understanding of human history and culture in profound ways.

Weight: 402g
Dimension: 152 x 230 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226630960