Ethnographic Analogy for the Study of MSA Hunter-Gatherers Complexity: Potential and Limitations

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Modelling Human Behaviour through Ethnoarchaeology: Ethnoarchaeology as Long-Term Traditional Knowledge (L-TeK)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The aim of this talk is to discuss the organization of past hunter-gatherer groups by combining preliminary analyses of the GOT-10 materials with ethnographic analogies. Since the 1800s, ethnographic and anthropological data have been crucial in interpreting prehistoric archaeology, particularly in understanding stone tool production. Early views of modern hunter-gatherers as "living fossils" were criticized, leading to a more nuanced approach to using these data in archaeological contexts.

In Africa, the Middle Stone Age (MSA) is central to understanding early Homo sapiens' behavior, with ethnographic data providing insights into the complexities of tool use and production. However, challenges persist in effectively applying these analogies. This talk aims to reassess the use of ethnographic observations in interpreting MSA hunter-gatherers, exploring how much can be understood through this approach. An extensive review of past work will inform new hypotheses for interpreting MSA archaeological contexts, focusing on the potential and limitations of ethnographic analogy in reconstructing the behavioral complexity of these ancient groups.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Modelling Human Behaviour through Ethnoarchaeology: Ethnoarchaeology as Long-Term Traditional Knowledge (L-TeK)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52898