The place of the eolithic controversy in the anthropology of Alfred Russel Wallace.

The work of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913: Fig.1) is justifiably well-known in relation to his contribution to the theory of evolution through natural selection, as is his general descriptive zoology. Less is known about his anthropological work, though his accounts of the ethnography of the places he visited in his travels (e.g. Wallace, 1869, 1889) are still important sources for students of language and culture, while his work on human antiquity became a major interest in the latter part of his life. In this paper I shed some light on this part of his work, particularly as this is reflected in his interactions with other scientists and antiquarians concerning the so-called ‘the eolithic controversy’.