Overview
- Comprehensive, multifaceted explanation of human nutrition and evolutionary needs
- Synthesizes increasing number of arguments against the prevailing theories of big-game hunting
- Provides a new explanation for a human adaptations
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Part of the book series: Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology (IDCA)
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About this book
Since its inception, paleoanthropology has been closely wedded to the idea that big-game hunting by our hominin ancestors arose, first and foremost, as a means for acquiring energy and vital nutrients. This assumption has rarely been questioned, and seems intuitively obvious—meat is a nutrient-rich food with the ideal array of amino acids, and big animals provide meat in large, convenient packages. Through new research, the author of this volume provides a strong argument that the primary goals of big-game hunting were actually social and political—increasing hunter’s prestige and standing—and that the nutritional component was just an added bonus.
Through a comprehensive, interdisciplinary research approach, the author examines the historical and current perceptions of protein as an important nutrient source, the biological impact of a high-protein diet and the evidence of this in the archaeological record, and provides a compelling reexamination of this long-held conclusion. This volume will be of interest to researchers in Archaeology, Evolutionary Biology, and Paleoanthropology, particularly those studying diet and nutrition.
Through a comprehensive, interdisciplinary research approach, the author examines the historical and current perceptions of protein as an important nutrient source, the biological impact of a high-protein diet and the evidence of this in the archaeological record, and provides a compelling reexamination of this long-held conclusion. This volume will be of interest to researchers in Archaeology, Evolutionary Biology, and Paleoanthropology, particularly those studying diet and nutrition.
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Keywords
Table of contents (12 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Authors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Paleoanthropology and Archaeology of Big-Game Hunting
Book Subtitle: Protein, Fat, or Politics?
Authors: John D. Speth
Series Title: Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6733-6
Publisher: Springer New York, NY
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag New York 2010
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4419-6732-9Published: 17 September 2010
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4614-2674-5Published: 24 July 2012
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4419-6733-6Published: 08 September 2010
Series ISSN: 1568-2722
Series E-ISSN: 2730-6984
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXXIII, 233
Number of Illustrations: 20 b/w illustrations
Topics: Archaeology, Evolutionary Biology, Nutrition