Uniformitarianism In Paleoanthropology And Middle-Range Research

In attempts to reconstruct human behavior that of meat-eating and its related behaviors paleoanthropologists and archaeologist’s works within the perspective of uniformitarianism, actualism, analogy and middle range theory (Atici, 2005). The Principle of Uniformitarianism was first proposed by a geologist, Dr. Charles Lyell, in his publication of 1871 (Holmes, 1965). The principle states that, “the present geological phenomena that are observed today are key to past geological phenomena” (Holmes, 1965). Application of Uniformitarianism in archaeology and/or paleoanthropology establishes the relationships between present processes and traces, which are used to infer the context of processes that created the same traces in the past such as the

Merton in 1957 (Johnson, 2010). Lewis .R. Binford was among the first archaeologists to employ middle range theory in archaeology (Atici, 2005). Middle-range research attempts to link the low-range static traces of past behavior with their high-range, dynamic causal processes including biological, ecological and behavioral factors, through a series of relational analogies that comprise the middle-range (Binford, 1981). Middle Range Theory was used in this study because it helps deducing aspects concerning early hominid behavior such as that of meat eating, early hominid subsistence patterns and the like (Binford, 1981; Saanane, 2004; Shipman, 1986; Gifford-Gonzalez, 1991). For example Nilssen (2000) argued that Middle range investigations are widely used in practice by Plio-Pleistocene zooarchaelogist, largely focusing on the hunting versus scavenging debate of carcass access (Binford, 1981; Nilssen, 2000). In Paleoanthropolgical investigations for example based on Middle Range Theory, the discovery of close spatial association of fossil fauna with stone artifacts in archaeological assemblages suggest processing of animal products (see also, Bunn and Kroll, 1986; Shipman, 1986; Saanane, 2004). Such reasoning is based on Middle range theory and relational analogy (Binford, 1981; Gifford-Gonzalez,

al., 1988; Binford, 1978). For example Binford (1978) made comprehensive observations of butchery activities by the Nunamiut Eskimos and then studied the bones for resulting butchery damage. Results from Binford’s (1978) study provided information for an account of butchery activities and their associated cut marks. Such marks may be used as models of early hominids butchering patterns and hence, provide evidence for meat eating by early hominids (Binford, 1978; Binford, 1981; Nilssen, 2000). Therefore, in studying the aspect of meat eating and attempts to reconstruct subsistence behaviors of early hominids at Makuyuni site 4, this study tried to incorporate principles of uniformitarianism, actualism, ethnographic observation, analogy and Middle Range