1.1.4 Comparisons between different records
of the past
No single record of the past is more important than any
other, but each records different features of the past.
Therefore the record chosen for investigation in a given
study is largely determined by the specific questions under
consideration. If we want to address a cultural question, such
as ‘What was life like for humans 10 000 years ago?’,
archaeology will give us more insight than will linguistics or
genetics. In contrast, if we want to answer a biological
question, such as ‘Which nonhuman species is most closely
related to us?’, archaeology and linguistics will be of little use.
To compile a fuller picture of the past we often seek to
combine information from multiple records into a single
‘synthesis’. This requires that we consider a little more closely
the similarities and unique characteristics of different records.
For example, while we can be sure that the speakers of
modern languages have ancestors, we cannot be sure that the
makers of a certain style of pottery left any descendants.
When similar information is being sought from several
records of the past, it becomes particularly critical to
appreciate the differences between them. For example, if we
are interested in migrations we must appreciate that artifacts
can move through trade, without the concomitant
movement of genes. Similarly, not all gene flow need be
accompanied by the movement of languages.
These different records are independent reflections of a
single past – but they need not all tell us the same thing.
Rather, conflicting signals allow us to reconstruct subtle and
nuanced views of a past that must have been just as complex
as the present. Nevertheless, readers should maintain a
healthy skepticism of interdisciplinary syntheses (Figure 1.2).
Each individual discipline that interprets a record of the past
contains competing hypotheses and many issues upon which
there is no consensus. This could enable researchers in one
field to ‘cherry-pick’ hypotheses from other disciplines that
agree best with their own thinking. Stringing together an
initial contentious hypothesis from field A with equally
contentious theories from fields B and C, may make for a
more complete and interesting narrative, but does not make
the original hypothesis any less contentious. As a result, the
field of human evolutionary studies is especially prone to
heated debates, and the reader should realize that almost
everything we say in this book will be contested by someone.
We recognize the importance of these ongoing debates and
try to give readers a flavor of the diversity of opinions by
incorporating ‘Opinion Boxes’ written by active researchers
who have new, interesting or challenging theories, or who
are particularly well placed to comment on an area of
controversy.