Primate archaeology

摘要

All modern humans use tools to overcome limitations of our anatomy and to make difficult tasks easier. However, if tool use is such an advantage, we may ask why it is not evolved to the same degree in other species. To answer this question, we need to bring a long-term perspective to the material record of other members of our own order, the Primates.rnSeveral animal species use tools and selectively manipulate objects. Primate tool use has received particular attention, in part because of the close evolutionary heritage that other primates share with technology-dependent humans. However, the effects of material culture on primate long-term adap-tiveness have yet to be systematically explored. Here we review the interface of primatology and archaeology, following a recent intensification of research into the relevance of other primates for understanding hominin technology and behaviour.