Binford and Ethnoarchaeology, a view from the South. Reflections on His Contributions to Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology and Lithic Analysis

Abstract

Lewis Binford has been an influential author in archaeology. He produced a wealth of ethnoarchaeological information and the ideas he developed—using his own results as well as the ones obtained by other researchers — resulted in a significant number of publications. His research generated knowledge that helped us to appreciate the variability in hunter gatherer behavior and to seek new approaches to the archaeological record.Here I summarize what I consider to be some of his main contributions to hunter-gatherers archaeology and to the understanding of lithic artifacts. I believe it is our task to increase our understanding of hunter-gatherer behavior and to find ways to apply this knowledge to the archaeological record of the areas in which we work.