The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Archaeology

Cognitive Archaeology is a young discipline that combines psychological, neuroscientific, paleoneurological, philosophical, anthropological, ethnographic, comparative, aesthetic, and experimental theories, methods, and models to study the human mind, including its evolutionary development, ideation, and nature through material forms. The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Archaeology is a landmark publication that showcases the theories, methods, and accomplishments of archaeologists who investigate the human mind, with contributions from over 50 established and emerging scholars from Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. The book includes substantive contributions that analyze specific examples of material culture, from the oldest known stone tools to ceramic and rock art traditions of the recent millennium, and begins with retrospective essays by several of the pioneers of cognitive archaeology.

Format: Hardback
Length: 1328 pages
Publication date: 27 March 2024
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Cognitive archaeology is a relatively young but rapidly growing discipline that focuses on the study of prehistoric people's actions and decisions through the analysis of archaeological evidence. Its theories and methods draw from a diverse range of psychological, neuroscientific, paleoneurological, philosophical, anthropological, ethnographic, comparative, and experimental theories, methods, and models, all united by their focus on cognition. The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Archaeology is a significant publication that showcases the latest research and advancements in the field, covering various aspects of the human mind, including its evolutionary development, ideation, and nature. The book features contributions from over 50 established and emerging scholars from Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas, and includes discussions on the epistemological frameworks of both evolutionary and ideational approaches, as well as the leading theories that ground interpretations. The majority of chapters provide substantive contributions that analyze specific examples of material culture, ranging from the oldest known stone tools to ceramic and rock art traditions of the recent millennium. These examples include a wide range of methods and techniques, such as typology, replication studies, chaînes opératoires, neuroarchaeology, ethnographic comparison, and the direct historical approach. Additionally, the book begins with retrospective essays by several of the pioneers of cognitive archaeology, presenting a broad range of state-of-the-art investigations into cognitive abilities, tackling thorny issues such as the nature of consciousness, the origins of language, and the development of symbolic thought.

Weight: 2436g
Dimension: 185 x 254 x 59 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192895950