Ancient Human Migrations: A Multidisciplinary Approach (Foundations of Archaeological Inquiry) [Paperback]

Peter Peregrine (Author)

Book Description

Series: Foundations of Archaeological Inquiry | Publication Date: April 1, 2009

The study of human migration is integral to the understanding of essential features of human experience. Many ancient civilizations were created and modified through migrations, and migrations of later periods gave rise to the modern ethnic map of the world, affecting ideology, economy and politics. Historically, most human migration studies have taken a more specialized approach, often focusing on archaeology or linguistics. Ancient Human Migrations collects outstanding papers from internationally renowned scholars to clarify the need for multidisciplinary approaches to the topic of human migration.

This collection of papers, worldwide in scope, originated from a working conference at the Santa Fe Institute. Admixture is a common outcome of migration, and human populations are all amalgams of ancestors, neighbors, and others. As a result, the volume argues, no “pure” races, cultures, or languages can exist. The very original analyses and discussions presented here return the concept of migration to its rightful place among the known processes of human evolutionary change and variation.

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter N. Peregrine is professor and chair of anthropology at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin. He is coeditor of the Encyclopedia of Prehistory and has authored or coauthored eleven books, five edited volumes, and over 100 articles, chapters, and reviews.

Ilia Peiros is a research associate at the Santa Fe Institute and an affiliate of the Department of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is a historical and comparative linguist.

Marcus W. Feldman is professor of biology at Stanford University. He is managing editor of Theoretical Population Biology and associate editor of Genetics, Human Genetics, Annals of Human Genomics, Annals of Human Biology, and Complexity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: University of Utah Press; 1st Edition edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874809428
• ISBN-13: 978-0874809428
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,867,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Peter N. Peregrine came to anthropology after completing an undergraduate degree in English. He found anthropology's social scientific approach to understanding humans more appealing than the humanistic approach he had learned as an English major. He undertook an ethnohistorical study of the relationship between Jesuit missionaries and Native American peoples for his master's degree and realized that he needed to study archaeology to understand the cultural interactions experienced by Native Americans prior to contact with the Jesuits.

While working on his Ph.D. at Purdue University, Peter Peregrine did research on the prehistoric Mississippian cultures of the eastern United States. He found that interactions between groups were common and had been shaping Native American cultures for centuries. Native Americans approached contact with the Jesuits simply as another in a long string of intercultural exchanges. He also found that relatively little research had been done on Native American interactions and decided that comparative research was a good place to begin examining the topic. He has since done fieldwork in England and Syria, and museum work in Kenya, China, and Japan exploring the impact cross-cultural interactions have on the peoples involved. He has also conducted numerous cross-cultural studies using ethnographic materials.

Peter Peregrine is currently professor of the anthropology at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. He serves as research associate for the Human Relations Area Files at Yale University, and is president of the Society for Anthropological Sciences. He continues to do archaeological research, and to teach anthropology and archaeology to undergraduate students.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A book about methods, January 25, 2012

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Evelyn Sue Coon (COEUR D ALENE, ID, US) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ancient Human Migrations: A Multidisciplinary Approach (Foundations of Archaeological Inquiry) (Paperback)

If you are interested in the methods that scientist use to track migrations, this is a great book for you. If on the other hand you, like myself, want to learn about actual ancient migrations you will, more or less, be out of luck. I am not a professional so I can not judge their scientific material although it sounds reasonable to me. Not being a professional I got a little mired down with the information, but did learn one thing that was helpful. I knew that when the earth's plates shifted it created the Sahara. I did not know about the climatic effect of the Ice Ages, on areas not covered with ice. That helped to explain why civilizations developed where they did and how the lowered sea level provided migration routes not available at other times. I still want to know more about actual migrations and the people and the reasons involved in those migrations. I probably would not have purchased this book, knowing what I know now. Because of this book, I am interested in learning more about historical linguistics.

5.0 out of 5 stars A model of academic scholarship, July 13, 2009

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ancient Human Migrations: A Multidisciplinary Approach (Foundations of Archaeological Inquiry) (Paperback)

From the very beginnings of our species somewhere in Africa, the history of the human race has been a history of migration. The distribution of the races and diverse ethnicity has its origins in the migration patters of antiquity materially affecting and influencing the ideologies, economies and politics of the modern world. Collaboratively compiled and edited by the team of Peter N. Peregrine (Professor and Chair of Anthropology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin), Ilia Peiros (Department of Linguistics and Applied Linguistices, University of Melbourne, Australia), and Marcus Feldman Professor of Biology, Stanford University), "Ancient Human Migrations: A Multidisciplinary Approach" is a compendium scholarly articles by a variety of contributors from various academic disciplines. A body of original and seminal work, "Ancient Human Migrations" is a seminal contribution to the study of humanities origins and displays the fallacious notion that there are 'pure' races, cultures or languages when it comes to our species. A model of academic scholarship, "Ancient Human Migrations" is highly recommended for academic library Anthropology reference collections.