Stephen Shennan
Encyclopedia
Stephen Shennan is a professor of theoretical archaeology
, and is director of the Institute of Archaeology
at the University College London
. Shennan focuses on cultural evolution and Darwinian archaeology, applying theories from evolutionary ecology
and cladistics
to archaeology. In July 2006, Shenann was elected Fellow of the British Academy.
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, and is director of the Institute of Archaeology
Institute of Archaeology
The UCL Institute of Archaeology is an academic department of the Social & Historical Sciences Faculty of University College London , England. It is one of the largest departments of archaeology in the world, with over 80 members of academic staff and 500 students...
at the University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. Shennan focuses on cultural evolution and Darwinian archaeology, applying theories from evolutionary ecology
Evolutionary ecology
Evolutionary ecology lies at the intersection of ecology and evolutionary biology. It approaches the study of ecology in a way that explicitly considers the evolutionary histories of species and the interactions between them. Conversely, it can be seen as an approach to the study of evolution that...
and cladistics
Cladistics
Cladistics is a method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants . For example, birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor form a clade...
to archaeology. In July 2006, Shenann was elected Fellow of the British Academy.