Niche Construction Theory and Archaeology |
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Authors: | Kevin N Laland Michael J O’Brien |
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Institution: | (1) School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, UK;(2) Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA |
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Abstract: | Niche construction theory (NCT) is a relatively new development within evolutionary biology, but one that has important implications
for many adjacent fields of research, including the human sciences. Here, we present a broad overview of NCT and discuss its
application to archaeology. We begin by laying out the basic arguments of NCT, including a historical overview, focusing on
how it affects understanding of human behavior and evolution. We then consider how NCT can be used to inform empirical research
and how it might profitably be applied in archaeology, using as a case study the origins of agriculture. We suggest that the
unrivaled potency of human niche construction, compared with that of other species, means that archaeologists need not be
mere consumers of biological insights but can become important contributors to evolutionary theory. |
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