Costly Signaling Theory in Archaeology

Why do people engage in seemingly wasteful behaviors and invest in extravagant material displays? Since its introduction into anthropological archaeology two decades ago, costly signaling theory (CST) has been used to provide an answer to this question. With broad origins in biology and social theory, costly signaling theory seeks to provide an evolutionary explanation for why humans engage in seemingly wasteful behaviors. In this chapter, I take stock of costly signaling theory in archaeology by (1) tracing its theoretical origins and history of adoption into anthropological archaeology, (2) highlighting key issues that archaeologists have been wrestling with in order to make CST applicable to the past, (3) discussing the breadth of uses of CST in the recent archaeological literature, and (4) presenting an analytical framework that can make CST more rigorous and in the future. Despite persistent doubts about the explanatory utility of CST, the study of signaling from an evolutionary perspective remains a key aspect of evolutionary archaeology

Mollusc harvesting in the Pre - European contact Pacific Islands: investigating resilience and sustainability

Mollusc shells, which are often quite numerous in archaeological sites throughout the Pacific Islands, offer good proxies for assessing environmental change as well as human impact. Documented changes in species size, richness, and abundance have often been interpreted as evidence of resource abuse by shellfish gatherers. While this may be valid in some cases, archaeologists need to consider other variables to explain change (or stability) in shell distribution. A better understanding of ecological and biological (life history) characteristics associated with shell midden deposits, as well as greater awareness of ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological data on the interaction between people and varieties of marine resources, may result in a reinterpretation of past human behavior. A growing interest in indigenous resource management among contemporary Pacific Island communities has led some archaeologists to seek tangible evidence of community resilience and sustainable use of resources in the past. This chapter draws primarily from direct observations and semi-structured interviews among mollusc gatherers in Kiribati, eastern Micronesia, and examines selected case studies of archaeological shell deposits from the Pacific Islands that could shed new light on marine resource management to complement the more widespread research conclusions that depict human impact in largely negative terms