Archeology and Marxism: about modern understanding the working theory of anthropogenesis

Among the most important problems of archeology is the problem of anthropogenesis. The article briefly describes the main provisions of the labor theory of Engels and the attitude to this theory of Russian archaeologists. At different stages of development of Russian archeology, the attitude of researchers towards it was different. In pre-revolutionary archeology of Russia, there is no particular interest in it. Changes begin in the 1930s, when the introduction of Marxism into the social sciences began. What was common for this period was not an in-depth study of Marxism, but its specific interpretation. The first references to the problem of “instinctive” labor (M.P. Zhakov) belong to this period. Later B.F. Porshnev addressed this problem. Among the archaeologists of the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, greater attention was paid to work with specific material. According to the main publications, it becomes clear that the labor theory of Engels is accepted by the majority of researchers. The latest discoveries of both anthropological materials and instruments of labor only confirm this theory. The most discussed problem today is the problem of linearity or multi-vector formation of the Homo species.