About the Book
Examples of a research approach that sheds light on
coastal societies in the past
In
this volume, contributors apply human behavioral ecology theoretical models to
coastal environments around the globe and to the use of coastal resources by
past human societies. Evidence demonstrates that coastlines and islands are
dynamic environments that were important in early human migrations, and this
volume shows how researchers can gain insights about human behavior in these
settings through its critical regional reviews and detailed local case studies.
The
volume begins by introducing the importance of theory in the reconstruction of
human behavior and provides examples of traditional foraging models.
Contributors then offer perspectives from North, Central, and South America,
the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Polynesia. They discuss unique
challenges faced by coastal societies, including extreme seasonality, patchy
resource distribution, natural hazards, balancing coastal and terrestrial
resource needs, aquatic technological innovation, and multiscale environmental
change.
Human Behavioral
Ecology and Coastal Environments demonstrates that exploring
decision-making and cultural behaviors is key to understanding how humans have
lived in and related to these environments. Through its application of human
behavioral ecology models, this volume sheds light on the evolving adaptations
of societies in a variety of coastal contexts through time and across space.
A
volume in the series Society and Ecology in Island and Coastal Archaeology,
edited by Victor D. Thompson and Scott M. Fitzpatrick
