ABSTRACT
Ample historic evidence exists to suggest that even earlier versions of our
present selves may have fabricated some form of material culture: a culture
riddled with such familiar sounding traits as interactivity, symbolism, inter-
societal comparing and strong emotional attachments to one’s material
possessions. Yet, despite the extensive archives of research that are available
to us today, it still remains uncertain as to how, when and – perhaps more
interestingly – why our species developed such a materialist orientation.
