Challenging our understanding of human consciousness through archaeological finds

With the support of the Wolfson Academic Fund, Dr Bar Efrati, a Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson, recently attended the Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) conference in York. TAG is a key event for discussing archaeological theory and thought, and this year’s theme, “Theory in Action”, fostered a thriving environment for debate, ranging from bringing untold stories and objects to light, to critical reflection on the field, and advancing theories at the fringe.

Dr Efrati participated in the session “Mindless Archaeology”, which posed a radical challenge to how we understand human consciousness through archaeological finds. Rather than viewing the mind as an abstract entity separate from the body, the session explored the proposition that cognition is entirely physical and con-substantial with the material world.

Dr Efrati’s presentation, “The Knapper’s Attunement”, contributed to the vibrant theoretical discussion and offered an archaeological anchor to these philosophical debates through case studies of recycling old colourful human-made items during the Late Palaeolithic period in the Southern Levant (ca. 500,000-200,000 years ago). She demonstrated how the physical act of modifying stone tools may reveal a physical mind in action; where intelligence emerges from the dialogue between hand and stone rather than a pre-imposed mental template.