https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/paleo-lifestyle-bioarchaeology/
The excerpt “Were We Ever Paleo Perfect?” by Brenna Hassett delves into the question of how and why cities were made. Indeed, she notes that there was a transition from settlers to dwellers, even though cities themselves posed many risks. Hassett brings the paleo image as a comparison to the unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle of city dwellers. As such, the author believes that the idealization of the paleo past foregoes archaeological evidence, and emphasizes an idea of where we should be, when we should be examining the journey to where we are.
Hassett, begins with a critique of modern day trends that base themselves on the whimsical paleo lifestyle. Hassett parodies this in an illustrative approach, depicting the reconstructed lives of a man and woman living 15,000 years ago. He is the strong healthy hunter, while she is the beautiful bearer of children, who amusingly is the doppelganger of Raquel Welch. Both are superior physical specimens based on their active paleo lifestyle. Through this illustration, the author makes her point that current fads and trends are not represented in the archaeological record and yet most people have come in contact with this paleo belief system. For many years, I watched my own father go to the gym and swear by this paleo diet, which was heavily promoted by the gyms personal trainers. Sure, it made sense at the time, as I pictured a strong man with full hair, wearing fur and carrying a heavy stone ax. However, I agree with the author that this was not the reality of past human societies, especially in the transition to urban settlements.
In this excerpt, there is an emphasis on the scientific method and using bioarchaeology to examine skeletons, which the author believes provides specific details of our health from 15,000 years ago to now. I agree with Hassett’s assertion that bioarchaeology can provide valuable and insightful information about a persons diet and health. However, the claim that we can also analyze how and why cities are created requires more understanding than what skeletal patterns can provide. Additionally, the archaeologist has to rely on there being sufficient bone material available for examination, which is not guaranteed. From my point of view, this excerpt is influenced by the processual theory, due to the use of scientific data to create patterns. I do not believe this can be effective alone, as it cannot account for questions of ideology and agency, which should be included, as cities can be built for social, religious, political and economic pursuits. As such, I propose incorporating the post-processual theory, as this would address ideology and agency. Additionally, it would counterbalance the scientific method and possible subjectivities.
Overall, this reading was intriguing and leaves me wanting to sit and think about what led us to this urban lifestyle, when overpopulation, pollution, disease, inequality and death are familiar concepts. Also, I particularly enjoyed the musing of Hassett in this excerpt with the sarcastic undertones towards the magical lifestyle of our paleo ancestors and the Raquel Welch and Monty Python references. Indeed, the emphasis on bioarchaeology and the authors writing style has left me curious as to how the argument is further laid out.