Steven Mithen, (born 16 October 1960) is an

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

. He is noted for his work on the evolution of language, music and intelligence, prehistoric hunter-gatherers, and the origins of farming. He is professor of early prehistory at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...

Early life and education

Mithen was born on 16 October 1960. In 1983 he graduated with a BA in Prehistory and Archaeology from

Sheffield University The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Firth College in 1879 ...

, followed by a MSc degree in biological computation from

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

in 1984 and undertook a PhD in archaeology at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, graduating in 1987.

Academic career

Mithen began his academic career as a research fellow in archaeology at

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge, colloquially "Tit Hall" ) is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1350, it is th ...

from 1987 to 1990. He was additionally a Cambridge University

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

in archaeology (1989–1991), and then a research associate at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research from 1991 to 1992. In 1992, he joined the

as a lecturer in archaeology. He was promoted to senior lecturer in 1996, made Reader in Early Prehistory in 1998, and has been Professor of Early Prehistory since 2000.

Honours

In 2004, Mithen was elected a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (post-nominal letters FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in t ...

(FBA), the United Kingdom's national academy for the

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

and

social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (FSA Scot) in 1993 and a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

(FSA) in 1998.

Publications

General academic books

*Mithen, S. J. (2024) ''The Language Puzzle: How we Talked Our Way Out of the Stone Age''. London: Profile Books. *Mithen, S. J. (2020) ''Land of the Ileach: Archaeological Journeys into Islay’s Past''. Edinburgh & London: Birlnn Books. *Mithen, S. J. (2012) ''Thirst: Water and Power in the Ancient World''. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. *Mithen, S. J. (2005) ''The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind and Body'' Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2006. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London. *Mithen, S. J. (2003)'' After the Ice: A Global Human History, 20,000-5000 BC.'' Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2004. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London *Mithen, S. J. (ed. 1998) ''Creativity in Human Evolution and Prehistory'', London; New York: Routledge, 1998. *Mithen, S. J. (1996) ''The Prehistory of the Mind: A Search for the Origins of Art, Religion, and Science'', London: Thames and Hudson, 1996. *Mithen, S. J (1990) ''Thoughtful Foragers: A Study of Prehistoric Decision Making'' Cambridge ngland New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.

Research monographs

*Mithen, S. J. & Black, E. (eds) (2011). ''Water, Life & Civilisation: Climate, Environment and Society in the Jordan Valley''. Cambridge University Press/UNESCO International Hydrology Series. *Mithen, S. J., Finlayson, B., al-Najjar, M., Smith, S., Jenkins, E. & Maričević, D. (2018). ''WF16, The Excavation of an Early Neolithic Settlement in Southern Jordan. Volume 1 : Architecture, Stratigraphy and Chronology. London:'' CBRL Research Monograph *Mithen, S. J. & Finlayson, B. (Eds. (2006) ''The Early Prehistory of Wadi Faynan, Southern Jordan: Archaeological Survey of Wadis Faynan, Ghuwayr and Al Bustan'' and Evaluation of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A site of WF16. Oxford: Oxbow, 2006-7. *Mithen, S. J. (2000) ''Hunter-gatherer Landscape Archaeology: The Southern Hebrides Mesolithic project, 1988-98'' Cambridge: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, 2000. 2 volumes.

Faynan Guides

* Mithen, S. J., Khoury, F., Greet, B., White, J. & Meslamani, N. (2020). ''The Birds of Faynan: Past and Present''. Reading: University of Reading/Amman: Jordan Birdwatch * Mithen, S. J., Najjar, M. & Finlayson, B. (2019). The Archaeology of Faynan: A Celebration and Guide. Reading: University of Reading.

Selected journal articles

*Mithen, S.J., Richardson, A., & Finlayson, B. (2023). The flow of ideas: shared symbolism during Neolithic emergence in Southwest Asia: WF16 and Göbekli Tepe. ''Antiquity'' 97, 829-849. *Maričević, D. & Mithen, S.J. (2023). Excavation and survey at the Giant’s Grave, Slochd Measach, Nereabolls, a Neolithic chambered cairn on the Isle of Islay, Argyll & Bute: chronology, architecture, reuse and demise. ''Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland'' 152, 9-52. *Mithen, S.J. (2022). How long was the Mesolithic-Neolithic overlap in Western Scotland? Evidence from the 4th millennium BC on the Isle of Islay and the evaluation of three scenarios for Mesolithic-Neolithic interaction. ''Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society'' 88, 53-77 *Mithen, S.J., White, J., Finlayson, B., Greet, B. & Khoury, F. (2022). Birds as indicators of early Holocene biodiversity and the seasonal nature of human activity at WF16, an early Neolithic site in Faynan, Southern Jordan. ''Journal of Quaternary Science'' 37, 1148-1163. *Mithen, S.J. (2022). Shamanism at the transition from foraging to farming in Southwest Asia: sacra, ritual, and performance at Neolithic WF16 (southern Jordan), ''Levant'', *Mithen, S.J. & Wicks, K. (2021). Population level models for testing hunter-gatherer resilience and settlement response to the combined impact of abrupt climatic events and sea level change: A case study from the Holocene of northern Britain''. Quaternary Science Reviews'' 265, 107027. *Jin, G., Chen, S., Li, H., Fan,X., Yang, A. & S.J. Mithen. (2020). The Beixin Culture: Archaeobotanical evidence from Guanqiaocunnan indicates a population dispersal of hunter-gatherer/cultivators into and across the Haida region of northern China. ''Antiquity'', 94, 1426-1443. *Mithen, S.J. (2019). Mesolithic fireplaces and the enculturation of Early Holocene landscapes in Britain, with a case study from Western Scotland. ''Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society'' 85, pp. 131–159 *Mithen, S.J. (2018). Becoming Neolithic in words, thoughts and deeds. ''Journal of Social Archaeology''

Selected book chapters

*Mithen, S.J. (2023). The evolutionary foundations of Neolithic thought: The invention of words, cognitive fluidity and objects as cognitive anchors. In L.E. Bennison-Chapman (ed.) ''Bookkeeping Without Writing. Early Administrative Technologies in Context''. PIHANS CXXXIV. Netherlands Institute for the Near East. *Mithen, S.J., Wicks, K. & Berg-Hansen, I. (2020). The Mesolithic coastal exploitation of Western Scotland: The impact of

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and use of favoured place. In A. Schuülke (ed) ''Coastal Landscapes of the Mesolithic: Human Engagement with the Coast from the Atlantic to the Baltic Sea''. London: Routledge *Wicks, K. & Mithen, S.J. (2017). Economy and environment during the early Mesolithic of western Scotland: Repeated visits to a fishing locality on a small island in the Inner Hebrides. In: P.Persson, E. Reide, B. Skar, H.M.Breivik & L. Johnson (eds) ''The Ecology of Early Settlement in Northern Europe: Conditions for Subsistence and Survival (Volume 1),'' pp. 20–55. Sheffield: Equinox Publishing Ltd *Mithen, S.J., Finlayson, B., Maričević, D., Smith, S., Jenkins, E. and al-Najjar, M. (2015) Death and architecture: The Pre-Pottery Neolithic A burials at WF16, Wadi Faynan, Southern Jordan. In: C. Renfrew, M.J. Boyd & I. Morley (eds) ''Death Rituals, Social Order and the Archaeology of Immortality in the Ancient World'', pp. 82–110. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press *Mithen, S.J. (2015). Taking a Gamble with alternative approaches to the Mesolithic of western Scotland: locales, rhythms and regions. In: F. Wenban-Smith, F. Coward, R. Hosfield and M. Pope (eds) ''Settlement, Society and Cognition in Human Evolution'', pp. 317–341. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

References

External links

Staff Profile: Professor Steven MithenHigh notes of the singing NeanderthalsAudio recording of lecture (Communal and monumental architecture at the origin of the Neolithic in the Near East: new evidence from Wadi Faynan, Southern Jordan) given in the UCD Humanities Institute. February, 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mithen, Steve Living people British archaeologists Human evolution theorists Fellows of the British Academy Academics of the University of Reading British cognitive scientists British prehistorians Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 1960 births