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Behavioural modernity is dead: Long live behavioural modernity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 January 2025

Matthias A. Blessing Open the ORCID record for Matthias A. Blessing [Opens in a new window]
Matthias A. Blessing*
Affiliation:
Anthropology Department, University of Connecticut, Deep History Lab, Storrs, CT, USA Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Working Group Older Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Tübingen. matthias.blessing@uni-tuebingen.de
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*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Using Neanderthal symbolism, I extend on Stibbard-Hawkes to show that reconsidering the link between cognitive capacity and material culture extends beyond matters of preservation. A reconceptualization of behavioural modernity inclusive of both extant and extinct populations must begin with an honest theoretical separation of biological and behavioural modernity, which requires to critically engage with how we frame the underlying questions.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 48 , 2025 , e5
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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