BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Shiny pebbles and Nordic aperitifs: case studies in multidisciplin
 ary cultural evolution - Professor Fiona Jordan\, University of Bristol
DTSTART:20231026T150000Z
DTEND:20231026T163000Z
UID:TALK205015@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Simon Carrignon
DESCRIPTION:Long-term\, large-scale changes in culture at the group level 
 are the focus of cultural macroevolution. Questions about the evolution of
  social norms\, about important human cognitive capacities\, and about our
  diverse life-ways as a species all require an inherently multidisciplinar
 y approach\, with the input of data and theory from archaeology\, anthropo
 logy\, psychology\, linguistics\, and beyond. In this talk I’ll present 
 work from two large multidisciplinary projects that draw on cultural evolu
 tionary frameworks and methods\, in particular\, the analysis of cross-cul
 tural data as a window on the past. The QUANTA project investigates when\,
  why\, and how humans developed number systems\, and why those vary so mas
 sively across cultures. I’ll present work on “lustrous gravels” from
  Palaeolithic France\, where we have studied collections of shiny pebbles 
 as potential counting tools for humans living 15-20 kya. The Nordic People
  and Plants project aims to trace the little-studied cultural evolution of
  plant use from before the Viking age to today across a range of Nordic cu
 ltures. Here I’ll show how we are bringing data together from archaeolog
 y\, medieval texts\, material culture\, linguistics and ethnography to cha
 racterise the Viking ethnobotanical tool-kit\, and connect those tradition
 s to those alive today.\n
LOCATION:McDonald Institute Seminar Room
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR