ABSTRACT
The theme of this chapter is the role that cognition plays in the artifact world. The chapter begins with a consideration of the relationship between artifact and text in archaeology, leading to a consideration of how archaeologists create categories to describe variation among artifacts, with particular attention given to Albert Spaulding’s idea of preferences. Based on Margolis and Laurence’s discussion of theories of concepts, it is possible to link Spaulding’s emphasis on preferences with theory-theory approach to concepts that can be accessed archaeologically using the chaîne opératoire. The applicability of this approach archaeologically is then considered, drawing on a brief history of research on the Middle Paleolithic stone tools and the Levallois method of flake production. The cognitive functioning involved in Levallois knapping is then framed in terms of the extended mind thesis. The linkage between action, material, and thought is further strengthened by a consideration of recent research in cognitive science on vision as an active process that often involves the body in motion. It is suggested that the distinction between skill and knowledge in technical actions such as flint knapping might be related to shifts in gaze from tracking to saccades. It is further argued that this integration of skill and knowledge can be traced back to the Acheulean, the period between 0.2 and 1.8 million years ago.
