Abstract

Archaeological considerations of landscape often focus on external physical markers, emphasizing material space(s) at the expense of underlying cultural semantics. Such perspectives are useful for recognizing ancient landscapes, but they do not elucidate associated cultural knowledge nor reflect patterns of variability within and between cultural traditions. We suggest an alternative approach - cognitive landscape theory - inspired by the theory of extended mind that recognizes landscapes as internally situated and separate from the natural world. Taking the Neolithic Cucuteni culture as our case study, we explore the analytical potential of this framework, considering relationships between cognition and the production of material culture.