How to Cite
License (Chapter)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Identifiers (Book)
Published
Semiosis, Niche Construction, and How We Can Better Engage Paleolithic 'Art' in Human Evolution
Abstract Discerning the patterns and processes of the emergence of symbolic behavior has been linked to our ability to determine the emergence of humanity in the archeological record. In this paper, we place engagement with Palaeolithic ‘art’ in the context of the human niche and discuss how the study of palaeolithic art can be approached by using semiotic theory. We argue that moving away from a reliance on identifying symbols and towards a view of meaning making in the human niche is a useful way to understand the place of materials labeled as Palaeolithic art. This perspective emphasizes the role of semiosis and niche construction in the expansion of the human cultural niche across the Pleistocene.
Keywords semiosis, niche, symbolic thought
