Definition: German archaeologist, biologist and doctor Rudolf Virchow was interested in many different things, among them cellular biology and archaeology. In his "cellular theory of prehistory", Virchow imagined that culture developed exclusively within small groups of people, and if you had the right evidence, you could draw a straight line from ethnic communities of the present back to their cultural roots. While his work in cellular biology, particularly of the process of diseases, was of phenomenal importance to the study of medicine, like nearly everything in the world having to do with human beings, ethnicity is by no means as clear as Virchow could think it.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
