Prehistoric Decisions Preserved in Artifacts

Archaeologist and anthropologist Todd Surovell, freshly back from fieldwork in Mongolia, studies the factors that structure the archaeological record, from human decision-making to site formation. In this Hangout, he speaks with senior editor Sandra J. Ackerman about how he uses artifacts to understand why people choose certain locations to do various behaviors. His work is informed by observations of existing hunter-gatherers in order to determine how people decide where to do what they do, and how such decisions may be manifested spatially in the archaeological record.