Approaching Hominin Healthcare
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2019-08-06

The analysis of palaeopathology in early hominins is primarily published in case study format, following strict scientific protocols, with restrained interpretation. This data is essential to any consideration of ancient healthcare practices, but approaching this subject requires the integration of theoretical tools. Two theoretical strands have emerged in recent years, sensitive to different research questions at varying scales. The bioarchaeology of care approach, pioneered by Lorna Tilley, works at the scale of the individual, touching on specific lives and experiences. The evolutionary approach works at the scale of the species, plotting the importance of healthcare within a species as it interacts with specific environments and ecologies. I will illustrate some of the applications of these approaches using Neanderthals as a case study. Together, these theoretical tools, when integrated with palaeopathological data, reflect one viable routeway to approaching hominin healthcare.

Andy Needham (University of York)

TAG Deva 2018
Session: Integrating Theory and Science in Archaeology