METHODOLOGICAL PROPOSAL FOR THE COGNITIVE INTERPRETATION OF NEANDERTHAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD
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Abstract
Methodology used in Cognitive Archaeology conforms a key point to avoid speculations and to approach to the study of extinct minds in a scientific manner. Nevertheless, until now, it tends to be its weak point due to the lack of consensus, standardization and the difficulties to define the concepts being used.
In this situation, some researchers have proposed methods oriented to reduce relativism, in order to limit interpretations within the framework provided by the data.
One of those proposals consists of the interdisciplinary structure from Garofoli and Haidle (2014), which will be developed here in order to approach the neanderthal cognition. Departing from the evidence of alive species biological’s systems and considering their relation with the neural, mental and behavioural ones, this comparative-based method allows to infer basic features of neanderthal mental system, creating an interpretative framework useful to read the archaeological record from a cognitive perspective.