William Daniel Snyder
Research Interests
My research interests span the whole continuum of evolutionary anthropology, but generally are centered on the follow topics and themes:
Methods and theory in archaeology, especially regarding theories of 'knowing'
Experimental archaeology of Early Stone Tool technologies
The evolution of cognition, cumulative culture, and language
The interplay of biology, cognition, and culture in the development of Homo
Morphology of Middle and Late Pleistocene Homo
Tool-related behaviors and technology of non-human primates
Scientific illustration and science communication
Brief Background
I am currently affiliated with the Paleoanthropology working group at the University of Tübingen. Both my PhD (in Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology) and Master of Science (in Scientific Archaeology, specializing in Paleoanthropology) were also completed at the University of Tübingen. The topic of my dissertation was New Experimental Insights into Early Hominin Cultures and Oldowan Technology, while the topic of my M.Sc. thesis was Geometric Morphometrics of the Enigmatic E.688 Sacrum from the Site of Broken Hill, Kabwe, Zambia. Before my time in Tübingen, I completed my Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and Human Biology and German Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
Besides my academic pursuits, I work professionally as a freelance artist and graphic designer under the banner of WDS Paleo Designs. Among others, I am chiefly responsible for the graphic design for (especially the cover art of) the journal PaleoAnthropology.
Publications
A full list of my manuscripts is located here. PDFs are available on ResearchGate, on Google Scholar, on the publisher webpages, or per E-mail by request. You can find and follow my research works by clicking on the logo just above.
What kind of culture did early hominin toolmakers have?
The method of exclusion (still) cannot identify specific mechanisms of cultural inheritance
Early knapping techniques do not necessitate cultural transmission
Have Video Games Evolved Enough to Teach Human Origins?: A Review of Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
Clarifying Misconceptions of the Zone of Latent Solutions Hypothesis: A Response to Haidle and Schlaudt
E. Bandini, J. S. Reeves, W. D. Snyder, C. Tennie
doi:10.1007/s13752-021-00374-x
An overview of standardizable raw materials for controlled knapping experiments
W. D. Snyder, D. Boysen, J. Orellana F., C. Tennie, J. S. Reeves
doi:10.31219/osf.io/edkgc
Other Activities
Up until now*, my research work has been complemented by participation plenty of other research activities.
Besides talks and poster presentations at local, national, and international conferences, I have been invited to give talks as part of seminars or workshops in Cologne, Neuchâtel, and Tel Aviv. I also gave a talk in Frankfurt as recipient of the German Study Prize for Archaeology in 2023. Furthermore, I (co-)organized conferences, symposia, and workshops (mainly in Tübingen, but also one symposium in Bielefeld and an additional virtual conference).
Finally, I have been involved in teaching and in peer review as both reviewer and associate editor, as well as being a member of major academic societies.
*last updated 21 February 2024.
