Definition: Archaeologists use the theoretical method of Human Behavioral Ecology to study specific human groups as they change over time (decades, centuries, millennia). Basically, the method maps out the forces behind the changes, focusing on adaptations to ecological, social, and cultural change. Think of it as studying a web of how a society developed by tracing the different strands that made it, those strands being environmental changes, population growth and decrease, and cultural rules such as division of labor and kinship. An outgrowth of Julian Steward's cultural ecology, HBE is commonly used by ethnographers studying modern societies; it is archaeologists that apply the theory to deep time.
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.
Also Known As: HBE
