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How Colonialism Invented Food Insecurity in West Africa

Sapiens

Archaeological evidence and Oral Histories show people in what is today Ghana lived sustainably for millennia—until European colonial powers and the widespread trade of enslaved people changed everything. I felt compelled to share this story as an example of the power of archaeology to shift perspectives. It’s the year 2065.

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It’s Time to Replace “Prehistory” With “Deep History”

Sapiens

A team of archaeologists working in Southeast Asia is pushing toward a deeper understanding of history that amplifies Indigenous and local perspectives to challenge traditional archaeological timelines. This approach to archaeological research places value on the continuous cultural and social development of humans.

History 143
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Application of Archaeological Anthropology and Cultural Resources Management

Anthropology for Beginners

Application of Archaeology Archaeology is the study of human past through material remains. Archaeology, then, is both a physical activity out in the field, and an intellectual pursuit in the study or laboratory. Here the methods of archaeology and ethnography overlap. How were those pots used?

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Ancient Hierakonpolis: The Earliest Evidence of Livestock Horn Modification

Anthropology.net

But recent archaeological findings reveal that even domestic livestock were transformed to project power and control. Credit: Journal of Archaeological Science (2024). This further underscores their ceremonial importance rather than economic utility. Journal of African Archaeology , 13(2), 187-206. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2024.106104

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Archaeology of power and identity: the political use of the discipline

Anthropology for Beginners

style='mso-element:field-begin'> TOC o "1-4" h z u Archaeology of power and identity: the political use of the discipline. style='mso-element:field-begin'> TOC o "1-4" h z u Archaeology of power and identity: the political use of the discipline.

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The Long Journey of Domesticated Sheep: How Ancient Herders Shaped a Global Livelihood

Anthropology.net

Sheep and the Rise of Human Societies For over 11,000 years, sheep have been central to human survival, providing food, milk, wool, and economic stability to societies from the Near East to the edges of Europe and beyond. But how did this partnership begin?

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The Politics of Pottery: How Ceramics Mapped the Borders of El Argar’s Bronze Age World

Anthropology.net

The study of pottery production and distribution provides a unique perspective on how political and economic boundaries were established in the European Bronze Age," says Adrià Moreno Gil, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology and lead author of the study. This contrast was not just economic but political.