Search

Diet imposes significant constraints on the biology and behaviour of animals. The fossil record suggests that key changes in diet have taken place throughout the course of human evolution. Defining these changes enables us to understand the behaviour of our extinct fossil ancestors. Several lines of evidence are available for studying the diet of early hominins, including craniodental morphology, palaeoecology, dental microwear and stable isotopes. They do, however, often provide conflicting results. Using dental macrowear analysis, this new UCL Institute of Archaeology project will provide an alternative source of information on early hominin diet. Dental macrowear has often been used to analyse diet in archaeological populations, but this will be the first time that this type of detailed study has been applied to the early hominin fossil record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the activities for 2005/2006 of the Environment and Culture Research Group, one of the Institute's five primary research groups. The group elected two student coordinators: Anna Clement, and Andrew Shapland. The author notes that there is a growing focus of interest in the field of Palaeolithic archeology. In 2005, research seminars were organized by Dorian Fuller and Eleni Asouti which included speakers like Steve Rosen and Dorian Fuller.