I keep hammering this point because I consider it a basic moral imperative to mercilessly ridicule and stimatize any claims that are not consistent with evidence. (--On pragmatic grounds, I'm a big fan of empiricism.) In addition, these examples of hunting and gathering societies demonstrate how people can adapt to and effectively participate in societies that are more egalitarian than the ones we live in now. --Sociobiological "just so" stories notwithstanding, it is not "in our genes" for some groups to socially and economically dominate others; rathers, domination is a product of certain economic/social/historical conditions.
In political terms, it's difficult to imagine an industrial society with the egalitarian patterns seen in hunting and gathering societies; for instance, I have to agree with the Schweikert critique of Parecon. However, this doesn't make me pessimistic, because this industrial type of society we live in will pass away, just as every other type of society has. --Look back 10,000 years, and how much human social life has changed in that relatively short historical period! Social life in the future will change in ways we can't begin to imagine, just as our current industrial way of life was not anticipated by people in hunting and gathering societies thousands of years ago.
So yes, stuff about previous human societies is of "ancient historical interest", but it's also a useful mental exercise to keep us from falsely assuming our way of life is permanent and inalterable.
Miles