This volume brings together diverse contributions from expert archaeologists and palaeoanthropologists, covering various spatial and temporal periods to distinguish convergent evolution from cultural transmission in order to discover ancient populations. With a focus on lithic technology, the book analyzes ancient materials and cultures to systematically explore the theoretical and physical aspects of culture, convergence, and populations in human evolution and prehistory. The book will be of interest to academics, students and researchers in archaeology, palaeoanthropology, genetics, and palaeontology. The first part of the book addresses primatology and prehistory, discussing the convergent evolution of behaviors and the diverse ecological conditions driving the success of different evolutionary paths. Chapters discuss these topics and technology in the context of the Middle Palaeolithic and the Middle Stone Age. Particular attention is given to human evolutionary and dispersal consequences during the Middle-Upper Palaeolithic Transition in Western Eurasia. Readers will also learn about the cultural convergences that occurred during the Terminal Pleistocene and Holocene, shaping cultural identities and producing a genetic melting pot. The final part of the book integrates these various perspectives and theories, and explores different methods of analysis to link technological developments and cultural convergence. weiterlesen