Cognitive archaeology owes much to the pioneering efforts of Thomas Wynn who, back in the late 1970s, began to seriously explore the intersection between cognitive science, Paleolithic archaeology, and human origins (Wynn, “The Intelligence of Later Acheulean Hominids,” Man 14[3], 1979). The edited book Squeezing Minds from Stones celebrates the influence, impacts, and legacies of Wynn's work. It is at the same time an attempt to provide an overview and a status quo for this thriving research field. The anthology consists of 21 chapters framed by an editorial introduction and an epilogue by Wynn himself. Most of the chapters are focused on the Paleolithic and on the most ubiquitous of material culture proxies: lithics. This reflects the pervasive importance of this most durable of proxies for human cognitive and cultural evolution (cf. Shumon T. Hussain and Marie Soressi, “The Technological Condition of Human Evolution: Lithic Studies as Basic Science,” Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 4[3], 2021), as well as Wynn's original preoccupation. This lithic focus is, however, supplemented with considerations of other technologies, such as traps, the bow-and-arrow system, notational tokens, and primate material culture. Throughout, there is a focus on building cross-disciplinary bridges from the meager remains of deep prehistory to the rich workings of the mind both modern and premodern.
This anthology brings together senior, mid-career, and emerging scholars in the field, thereby giving voices to different generations of cognitive archaeological inquiry. The chapters, each engaging with pertinent topics, can be read independently; some chapters, however, benefit from being read together, such as Miriam Haidle's reflections on cumulative culture and Rex Welshon's topic of joint attention—an aspect of human cognition that has yet to receive sufficient attention. The same is true of the chapters by Wynn's long-term collaborator Fred Coolidge and the eminent Lyn Wadley, who both engage with models of working memory. As is characteristic of cognitive archaeology, the chapters move nimbly between primatology, philosophy, linguistics, archaeology, and aesthetics. Some provide extensive reviews of particular approaches; chief among these are Dietrich Stout's chapter on cognition in the context of human niche construction, Philip Barnard's chapter that revisits the notion of interacting cognitive systems, and Iain Noble's characteristically entertaining reflections on the field of cognitive archaeology at large. Other chapters are more focused on specific species, regions, or artifacts—the iconic Acheulean hand axe being the most prominent—and what they tell us about ancient cognition.
Although there is no hint in the book's title, it becomes quickly apparent in the opening chapter that Squeezing Minds from Stones is to a large extent a Festschrift for Thomas Wynn, rather than an anthology focused on a specific theme, theory, or method. The genre of Festschrift is both charming and useful. And in this manner, this book succeeds in taking stock of that part of cognitive archaeology concerned specifically with premodern human cognition and in also relating a large palette of approaches within this field to one of its vital pioneers. Given the vibrancy of this research field, such a stock-taking exercise will only ever draw a line in the sand, but Squeezing Minds from Stones really is a rightful celebration of Wynn's achievements and lasting influence. By the same token, however, the book presents little in the way of truly novel ideas or data, nor does it engage with emerging critical reflections on research practice in cognitive archaeology (Anton Killin and Ross Pain, “How WEIRD Is Cognitive Archaeology? Engaging with the Challenge of Cultural Variation and Sample Diversity,” Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 2022), or with novel experimental approaches that are less concerned with abstract models and neuroimaging and more with integrating the well-established methods of psychophysics into assessments of material culture's cognitive affordances (e.g., Kristian Tylén et al., “The Evolution of Early Symbolic Behavior in Homo sapiens,” PNAS 117[9], 2020).
Taken in isolation, the chapters are well crafted throughout and make solid contributions to the cognitive archaeological literature. Taken together, the anthology would have benefited from tighter organizing principles. Themes such as theory, research history, and methodology are intermingled to the extent that readers may be left unsure what to expect as they move from one chapter to the next. The introductory chapter's promise of four parts (general cognitive evolution, stone tools and the mind, social cognition, and more recent cognition) could, we feel, have been made more explicit in the book's layout.
Typeset in miniscule font across its whopping 531 pages and specked with many a complex diagram, Squeezing Minds from Stones is a dense and substantive contribution to the field of cognitive archaeology. It is not a textbook but in many ways serves that function. Containing many review chapters, the book provides an excellent window into the development of this line of research. Thanks to a useful index, readers can swiftly zero in on specific topics of interest and discover linkages across chapters. Most chapters also come with extensive reference lists, which themselves contain many a useful nugget even for advanced practitioners. The regrettably hefty price tag of Squeezing Minds from Stones may prevent it from making its way onto many scholars’ private bookshelves. It should not be missing from any library, however, as it takes its place as essential reading for all cognitive archaeologists.
