Human Behavioral Ecology and Coastal Environments

Examples of a research approach that sheds light oncoastal societies in the past

Inthis volume, contributors apply human behavioral ecology theoretical models tocoastal environments around the globe and to the use of coastal resources bypast human societies. Evidence demonstrates that coastlines and islands aredynamic environments that were important in early human migrations, and thisvolume shows how researchers can gain insights about human behavior in thesesettings through its critical regional reviews and detailed local case studies.

Thevolume begins by introducing the importance of theory in the reconstruction ofhuman 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 uniquechallenges faced by coastal societies, including extreme seasonality, patchyresource distribution, natural hazards, balancing coastal and terrestrialresource needs, aquatic technological innovation, and multiscale environmentalchange.

Human BehavioralEcology and Coastal Environments demonstrates that exploringdecision-making and cultural behaviors is key to understanding how humans havelived in and related to these environments. Through its application of humanbehavioral ecology models, this volume sheds light on the evolving adaptationsof societies in a variety of coastal contexts through time and across space.

Avolume in the series Society and Ecology in Island and Coastal Archaeology,edited by Victor D. Thompson and Scott M. Fitzpatrick