S/H/95. Factors in history of world migration

The paper examines the causes and patterns of people's migration from prehistoric times to the present day arguing that the roots of the migration can be seen as the adjustment of supply and demand.

S/H/58. Significance of Megalithic Burials in the interpretation of Neolithic society in Scotland

This essay discusses what role megalithic burials play in the archaeological interpretation of the nature of the Neolithic society in Scotland, what their function might have been - and if it changed through time - as well as some of the problems and contradicting theories produced by 'modern' scholars.

S/H/14. How does the archaeological record reflect a difference in mentality or 'intelligence' of Neanderthals and modern humans?

The hotly debated questions surrounding the difference between these two populations, who lived alongside each other for thousands of years yet display markedly different records, is investigated in this essay. The developments that occurred in the Upper Palaeolithic, such as art and symbolism, are reviewed here with examples and are explained not as a reflection of mental capacities on the part of modern humans, but simply a difference in strategies. Through this, the argument is made that Neanderthals were not mentally inferior.

P/H/16. Religious rituals as evidence of socio-cultural evolution: archaeology of Tholos Tombs in Crete

The paper offers a comprehensive approach to the history of religion. Religion is considered with reference to biological evolution. The author looks at the evolution of social intelligence and propensity for altruistic bahaviour; highly advantageous when reciprocated, altruism leads to social cooperation and cohesion within community groups. The author contends that beliefs promoting cooperation (e.g. axioms of Christianity) are shaped by the evolutionary process and thus tend to get widely accepted. The concept of 'religious ritual' is defined in the socio-cultural framework along with 'social roles' and 'social institutions'. Rituals in the early Bronze Age Crete are reviewed on the basis of the excavated Tholos Tombs in Mesara. The features of the tombs are described and interpreted as evidence of ancestor worship and the worship of a fertility goddess. Inferences are made about the types of social relationships that existed in the area at pre-historic time.