How does migration influence and shape human biology? This was the central question posed to the ... more How does migration influence and shape human biology? This was the central question posed to the participants of the 57th SSHB Symposium held in December 2016 at the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. This special issue of the Annals of Human Biology contains papers by some of those participants and several specially selected papers that help to reflect the themes and questions explored during the meeting.
ABSTRACT Survey by the DMP Burials and Identity team around the Taqallit headland in 2009–2010 ha... more ABSTRACT Survey by the DMP Burials and Identity team around the Taqallit headland in 2009–2010 has revealed in exceptional detail a well-preserved Garamantian landscape, comprising extensive cemeteries, foggara irrigation systems and numerous oasis settlements. However, this remarkable survival of the Garamantian landscape was found in 2010 to be under direct and imminent threat of destruction. This report describes the landscape features recorded and the steps taken to try to preserve the evidence from obliteration in the face of modern agricultural development. Important new information was recorded about the date and furnishing of some key types of Proto-Urban tombs, linking with a refined view of the relationship of these cemeteries to contemporary foggara construction and the creation of pioneer farming settlement in the Taqallit region. Significant additional details of the foggara systems were recorded through a combination of satellite image interpretation, surface observation and selective descent into rock-cut shafts. The discovery of an unexpected number of ancient settlements and structures of Garamantian date represents another major achievement of the work. The composite picture of the Garamantian landscape encompassing cemeteries, foggaras and settlements is arguably the most complete yet recorded in the FP/DMP work.
This paper reports on the results of the work of the Palaeo
team of the DMP in January 2010. The ... more This paper reports on the results of the work of the Palaeo team of the DMP in January 2010. The fieldwork was focused on two different areas – the Wadi ash-Shati and the southwestern margin of the Ubari Sand Sea. Work in the Wadi ash-Shati confirmed the existence of Oldowan sites in Fazzan (locality SHT11 and environs), which although undated, represent a major addition to the extent of prehistoric occupation of the area. Further work near the site originally studied by Petit-Maire in the 1980s confirmed the association of a shell layer dated to the last interglacial with archaeological artefacts in situ. These artefacts are of MSA affinity, thus placing Fazzan in the context of other northern African sites of that time.
At the inception of the social sciences in the late 19 th century, early psychologists, anthropol... more At the inception of the social sciences in the late 19 th century, early psychologists, anthropologists, archaeologists and sociologists frequently proposed evolutionary explanations for social phenomena. Yet by the mid-20 th century Darwin’s theory had virtually disappeared from the social sciences, and most social scientists continue to reject evolutionary approaches within their disciplines. This special issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Psychology contains six papers each of which addresses the question of why social scientists rejected evolution, and why they still do. Three broad reasons are identified by our contributors. First, many social scientists past and present hold distorted views of evolution leading to, in our view, an unfounded rejection of evolutionary theory. This distortion might be addressed by improved education and communication of evolutionary theory. Second, many past applications of evolutionary theory to social phenomena have been inadequate for explaining the kinds of phenomena that social scientists are most interested in, such as rapid cultural change and the emergence of large-scale cooperative institutions. This situation is changing as modern Darwinian approaches incorporate behavioural flexibility, group-level explanations and culture. Finally, certain strands of the social sciences have rejected the scientific method in general, instead adopting non-scientific perspectives such as social constructionism. While this is a broader epistemological issue, the application of evolutionary methods to social phenomena may provide the best and most direct support for the value of the scientific method.
How does migration influence and shape human biology? This was the central question posed to the ... more How does migration influence and shape human biology? This was the central question posed to the participants of the 57th SSHB Symposium held in December 2016 at the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. This special issue of the Annals of Human Biology contains papers by some of those participants and several specially selected papers that help to reflect the themes and questions explored during the meeting.
ABSTRACT Survey by the DMP Burials and Identity team around the Taqallit headland in 2009–2010 ha... more ABSTRACT Survey by the DMP Burials and Identity team around the Taqallit headland in 2009–2010 has revealed in exceptional detail a well-preserved Garamantian landscape, comprising extensive cemeteries, foggara irrigation systems and numerous oasis settlements. However, this remarkable survival of the Garamantian landscape was found in 2010 to be under direct and imminent threat of destruction. This report describes the landscape features recorded and the steps taken to try to preserve the evidence from obliteration in the face of modern agricultural development. Important new information was recorded about the date and furnishing of some key types of Proto-Urban tombs, linking with a refined view of the relationship of these cemeteries to contemporary foggara construction and the creation of pioneer farming settlement in the Taqallit region. Significant additional details of the foggara systems were recorded through a combination of satellite image interpretation, surface observation and selective descent into rock-cut shafts. The discovery of an unexpected number of ancient settlements and structures of Garamantian date represents another major achievement of the work. The composite picture of the Garamantian landscape encompassing cemeteries, foggaras and settlements is arguably the most complete yet recorded in the FP/DMP work.
This paper reports on the results of the work of the Palaeo
team of the DMP in January 2010. The ... more This paper reports on the results of the work of the Palaeo team of the DMP in January 2010. The fieldwork was focused on two different areas – the Wadi ash-Shati and the southwestern margin of the Ubari Sand Sea. Work in the Wadi ash-Shati confirmed the existence of Oldowan sites in Fazzan (locality SHT11 and environs), which although undated, represent a major addition to the extent of prehistoric occupation of the area. Further work near the site originally studied by Petit-Maire in the 1980s confirmed the association of a shell layer dated to the last interglacial with archaeological artefacts in situ. These artefacts are of MSA affinity, thus placing Fazzan in the context of other northern African sites of that time.
At the inception of the social sciences in the late 19 th century, early psychologists, anthropol... more At the inception of the social sciences in the late 19 th century, early psychologists, anthropologists, archaeologists and sociologists frequently proposed evolutionary explanations for social phenomena. Yet by the mid-20 th century Darwin’s theory had virtually disappeared from the social sciences, and most social scientists continue to reject evolutionary approaches within their disciplines. This special issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Psychology contains six papers each of which addresses the question of why social scientists rejected evolution, and why they still do. Three broad reasons are identified by our contributors. First, many social scientists past and present hold distorted views of evolution leading to, in our view, an unfounded rejection of evolutionary theory. This distortion might be addressed by improved education and communication of evolutionary theory. Second, many past applications of evolutionary theory to social phenomena have been inadequate for explaining the kinds of phenomena that social scientists are most interested in, such as rapid cultural change and the emergence of large-scale cooperative institutions. This situation is changing as modern Darwinian approaches incorporate behavioural flexibility, group-level explanations and culture. Finally, certain strands of the social sciences have rejected the scientific method in general, instead adopting non-scientific perspectives such as social constructionism. While this is a broader epistemological issue, the application of evolutionary methods to social phenomena may provide the best and most direct support for the value of the scientific method.
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Papers by Djuke Veldhuis
team of the DMP in January 2010. The fieldwork was
focused on two different areas – the Wadi ash-Shati and the
southwestern margin of the Ubari Sand Sea. Work in the
Wadi ash-Shati confirmed the existence of Oldowan sites
in Fazzan (locality SHT11 and environs), which although
undated, represent a major addition to the extent of prehistoric
occupation of the area. Further work near the site
originally studied by Petit-Maire in the 1980s confirmed
the association of a shell layer dated to the last interglacial
with archaeological artefacts in situ. These artefacts are
of MSA affinity, thus placing Fazzan in the context of other
northern African sites of that time.
team of the DMP in January 2010. The fieldwork was
focused on two different areas – the Wadi ash-Shati and the
southwestern margin of the Ubari Sand Sea. Work in the
Wadi ash-Shati confirmed the existence of Oldowan sites
in Fazzan (locality SHT11 and environs), which although
undated, represent a major addition to the extent of prehistoric
occupation of the area. Further work near the site
originally studied by Petit-Maire in the 1980s confirmed
the association of a shell layer dated to the last interglacial
with archaeological artefacts in situ. These artefacts are
of MSA affinity, thus placing Fazzan in the context of other
northern African sites of that time.