New World Prehistory

The first part of this course reviews the biological, cultural and geological/palaeoenvironmental evidence for early occupation of America. In the second part, it examines post-Pleistocene forager adaptations and the evolution of food production and village life. The last part deals with the emergence of civilizations /complex societies (i.e. development of chiefdoms and state level societies) in the New World and cultural similarities between the Old and New World