The Paleoanthropology and Archaeology of Big-Game Hunting
Protein, Fat, or Politics?
Authors: Speth, John D.
Free Preview- Presents a comprehensive, multifaceted explanation of human nutrition and evolutionary needs
- Synthesizes an increasing number of arguments against the prevailing theories of big-game hunting
- Provides a new explanation for human adaptations
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- About this Textbook
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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.
- Table of contents (12 chapters)
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Introduction
Pages 1-3
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How Do We Reconstruct Hunting Patterns in the Past?
Pages 5-37
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Big-Game Hunting in Human Evolution: The Traditional View
Pages 39-44
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The Other Side of Protein
Pages 45-85
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Were Big-Game Hunters Targeting Fat?
Pages 87-107
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Table of contents (12 chapters)
- Download Preface 1 PDF (89.8 KB)
- Download Sample pages 1 PDF (1.8 MB)
- Download Table of contents PDF (33.8 KB)
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Bibliographic Information
- Bibliographic Information
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- Book Title
- The Paleoanthropology and Archaeology of Big-Game Hunting
- Book Subtitle
- Protein, Fat, or Politics?
- Authors
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- John D. Speth
- Series Title
- Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology
- Copyright
- 2010
- Publisher
- Springer-Verlag New York
- Copyright Holder
- Springer-Verlag New York
- eBook ISBN
- 978-1-4419-6733-6
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-1-4419-6733-6
- Hardcover ISBN
- 978-1-4419-6732-9
- Softcover ISBN
- 978-1-4614-2674-5
- Series ISSN
- 1568-2722
- Edition Number
- 1
- Number of Pages
- XXXIII, 233
- Number of Illustrations
- 20 b/w illustrations
- Topics
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