The Paleoanthropology and Archaeology of Big-Game Hunting [electronic resource] : Protein, Fat, or Politics? / by John D. Speth.
By: Speth, John D [author.].
Contributor(s): SpringerLink (Online service).
Material type:
BookSeries: Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology: Publisher: New York, NY : Springer New York : Imprint: Springer, 2010Description: XXXIII, 233 p. 20 illus. online resource.Content type: text Media type: computer Carrier type: online resourceISBN: 9781441967336.Subject(s): Social sciences | Nutrition | Evolution (Biology) | Archaeology | Social Sciences | Archaeology | Evolutionary Biology | NutritionDDC classification: 930.1 Online resources: Click here to access online How Do We Reconstruct Hunting Patterns in the Past? -- Big-Game Hunting in Human Evolution: The Traditional View -- The Other Side of Protein -- Were Big-Game Hunters Targeting Fat? -- Protein and Pregnancy -- Other Problems with High-Protein Intakes -- Protein and Taste -- Protein and Breast Milk -- Fat in Infancy -- DHA and the Developing Brain -- Big-Game Hunting: Protein, Fat, or Politics?.
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.
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