Human Relations Area Files

The Mesoamerican origins of chocolate featuring eHRAF Archaeology

In their book, The True Story of Chocolate, husband and wife co-authors Sophie Coe and Michael Coe make claim to the idea that chocolate – which originated in ancient Mesoamerica – is far older than…

Luck of the Irish: Folklore and fairies in Rural Ireland

If the month of March has you seeing shamrocks, it might be a good time to brush up on your knowledge of Irish culture. The Rural Irish collection in eHRAF World Cultures is a great…

Laissez les bon temps rouler: Mardi Gras and Cajun Traditions in eHRAF

Mardi Gras has become synonymous with the culture and lifestyle of New Orleans and southern Louisiana. “Fat Tuesday” or mardi gras in French, is the name given to the feast day that marks the onset…

Unconditional Love: Is devotion to pets a cultural universal?

If the number of cute animal memes on the internet is a fair benchmark, then the human love of pets is a powerful and global phenomenon. For many pet owners, their furry (or scaly) domestic…

New anthropology and archaeology assignments in Teaching eHRAF

Teaching eHRAF is our open access collection of 57 teaching exercises and sample syllabi for classroom use that include questions and class assignments based on eHRAF World Cultures or eHRAF Archaeology. These activities encourage the…