ABSTRACT
The object of this chapter is to sketch out the basis of an archaeological approach to examining the interrelationships between cultural traditions, inequality and the maintenance of social groups through time. The approach is intended to be of general relevance, but the discussion will be concentrated on the anthropology of foraging societies, since, for a variety of reasons, these are generally agreed to be of most relevance to providing a perspective for the analysis and discussion of inferred patterns of long-term human evolution.
