In this first lecture, recent advances in the field of experimental archaeology and stone tool technology will be discussed. After a brief history of the field is discussed, the concepts of external and internal experimental validity will be explored, as will the theoretical concepts of experiment as test, experiment as model, and experiment as method validation. Three recent experiments spanning human evolution (13,000 years ago, 1.5 million years ago, and 2.0 million years ago) will be reviewed. The lecture will conclude with places where experimental archaeology still lacks maturity relative to other sciences.

In this lecture, concepts from the first lecture will be briefly reviewed, as will potential connections between experimental archaeology and primatology. The most famous example of a non-human primate, Kanzi, will be discussed as a stepping stone toward potentially interesting evolutionary questions relevant to both archaeology and primatology. The lecture will conclude with a flintknapping [making stone tools] demonstration.