The Paleoanthropology and Archaeology of Big-Game Hunting: Protein, Fat, or Politics? (Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology)

Since its inception, paleoanthropology has been closely wedded to the idea that big-game hunting by our hominin ancestors arose, first and foremost, as a means for acquiring energy and vital nutrients. This assumption has rarely been questioned, and seems intuitively obvious--meat is a nutrient-rich food with the ideal array of amino acids, and big animals provide meat in large, convenient packages. Through new research, the author of this volume provides a strong argument that the primary goals of big-game hunting were actually social and political--increasing hunter's prestige and standing--and that the nutritional component was just an added bonus. Through a comprehensive, interdisciplinary research approach, the author examines the historical and current perceptions of protein as an important nutrient source, the biological impact of a high-protein diet and the evidence of this in the archaeological record, and provides a compelling reexamination of this long-held conclusion. This volume will be of interest to researchers in Archaeology, Evolutionary Biology, and Paleoanthropology, particularly those studying diet and nutrition Cover 1 The Paleoanthropologyand Archaeologyof Big-Game Hunting 4 ISBN 9781441967329 5 Foreword 8 Preface 10 Acknowledgments 24 Contents 28 List of Figures 30 List of Tables 34 Chapter 1: Introduction 36 Chapter 2: How Do We Reconstruct Hunting Patterns in the Past? 40 2.1 Uniformitarianism in Paleoanthropology and Archaeology 41 2.2 Anthropological Bias in the Study of Hunter–Gatherers 46 2.3 Nutritional Bias in the Study of Hunter–Gatherers 54 2.4 The Nature of the Archaeological Record 61 Chapter 3: Big-Game Hunting in Human Evolution: The Traditional View 74 Chapter 4: The Other Side of Protein 80 4.1 The Great Protein Fiasco 80 4.2 Excess Protein and the Importance of Fat 86 4.3 Historic Accounts of “Protein Poisoning” 87 4.3.1 Fat in the Hippopotamus and Eland 94 4.3.2 Fat in the Giraffe and Zebra 101 4.4 Ethnographic Accounts of “Protein Poisoning” 106 4.5 The Stefansson Experiments 107 4.6 Pemmican 107 4.7 What Constitutes an Excessive Intake of Protein? 111 Chapter 5: Were Big-Game Hunters Targeting Fat? 122 5.1 Hadza Hunting Success 123 5.2 Bushman (San) Hunting Success 124 5.3 Alternative Foods Available to the San 130 5.4 Alternative Foods Available to the Hadza 139 Chapter 6: Protein and Pregnancy 144 Chapter 7: Other Problems with High-Protein Intakes 148 7.1 Water Balance 148 7.2 Calcium 149 7.3 Specific Dynamic Action 150 7.4 Core Body Temperature 151 Chapter 8: Protein and Taste 154 8.1 Umami 155 8.2 Raw Meat: Steak Tartare and Frozen Meat 157 8.3 Prey Body Size and Total Fat Content 160 Chapter 9: Protein and Breast Milk 164 Chapter 10: Fat in Infancy 168 Chapter 11: DHA and the Developing Brain 170 Chapter 12: Big-Game Hunting: Protein, Fat, or Politics? 184 References 198 Index 258 144196732X,9781441967329 Springer Front Matter....Pages i-xxxiii Introduction....Pages 1-3 How Do We Reconstruct Hunting Patterns in the Past?....Pages 5-37 Big-Game Hunting in Human Evolution: The Traditional View....Pages 39-44 The Other Side of Protein....Pages 45-85 Were Big-Game Hunters Targeting Fat?....Pages 87-107 Protein and Pregnancy....Pages 109-112 Other Problems with High-Protein Intakes....Pages 113-117 Protein and Taste....Pages 119-127 Protein and Breast Milk....Pages 129-132 Fat in Infancy....Pages 133-134 DHA and the Developing Brain....Pages 135-147 Big-Game Hunting: Protein, Fat, or Politics?....Pages 149-161 Back Matter....Pages 163-233 Foreword -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- List Of Figures -- List Of Tables -- 1 Introduction -- 2 How Do We Reconstruct Hunting Patterns In The Past? -- 3 Big-game Hunting In Human Evolution : The Traditional View -- 4 The Other Side Of Protein -- 5 Were Big-game Hunters Targeting Fat? -- 6 Protein And Pregancy -- 7 Other Problems With High-protein Intake -- 8 Protein And Taste -- 9 Protein And Breast Milk -- 10 Fat In Infancy -- 11 Dha And The Developing Brain -- 12 Big-game Hunting : Protein, Fat Or Politics? -- References -- Index. John D. Speth. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 163-221) And Index. Since its inception, paleoanthropology has considered energy and vital nutrients to be the motivation behind big-game hunting. This volume, however, argues the goals of big-game hunting were actually social and political -- increasing hunter's prestige and standing -- and that nutrition was an added bonus.