Romanticised Landscapes and Idealised People: Imperialist, Colonialist, and Nationalist Narratives in European/Eurasian Stone Age Archaeology

Abstract

Decolonising knowledge, especially in academic research, is a key component of the ongoing discussion addressing colonialism. We argue that careful examination of the socio-cultural contexts in which research has been conducted is crucial to identifying misconceptions about the deep past. This work highlights elements of colonialism/imperialism within (1) interpretations of interactions between H. sapiens and H. neanderthalensis during the Upper Palaeolithic in western Europe, and (2) the appropriation and interpretations of the Siberian (H. sapiens) Palaeolithic-Neolithic history.