Hunters or Scavengers: Meat-Obtaining Techniques of Early Hominids

Searching for behavioral and social traits of humanity's ancestors, we attempt to glimpse into what made prehistoric hominids develop into humans as we know them. Contemporary human undertakings supposedly have a millennia-old cause that lies in the way of life of pre-human ancestors and early humans. Despite the fact scientists are supposed to be objective, more often than not they are influenced in their work and their theories by prevailing social views. One reason for this is the readiness with which scientific ideas are accepted if they support the dominant sociopolitical trends of a particular human culture. For example, it was much 'safer' to claim that human intelligence sprung from the hunting experiences of prehistoric men and ignore women's role in species development by anthropologists in the patriarchal societies of Europe and the United States in the middle of the 20th century. With steady rise of feminism and various movements for gender equality, however, the theories that support the development of humankind through gathering and scavenging techniques and increased role of females in the process are beginning to come to the fore of the science of human ancestry. The most notable fact, however, is that both the supporters of hunting and scavenging theories are using the same fossil data to support their claims, only interpreting it differently. This work will examine a gradual change in interpretation of scientific data available to anthropologists to accommodate the changing social and political values of a contemporary culture, namely that of the United States.