Hunters and Farmers: Then and Now

Spielmann, Katherine; Eder, James F.

doi:10.1146/annurev.an.23.100194.001511

Cited by 69 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…A second revolution occurred 6,000 to 4,000 y ago, when the early Neolithic farmers were overwhelmed by Yamnaya invaders from the Russian Steppe, who had the cultural advantage of transportation by horses (133,134). Such dynamics, in which cultural adaptation to temporally variable conditions may play an important role, are also pervasive more recently: For example, competition between pastoralists and agriculturalists and replacement of one by the other are documented from biblical times to the present (135,136).…”

Section: Models Of Culture and Human Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural evolutionary theory: How culture evolves and why it matters

Creanza

Kolodny

Feldman

2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

349

203

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Human cultural traits-behaviors, ideas, and technologies that can be learned from other individuals-can exhibit complex patterns of transmission and evolution, and researchers have developed theoretical models, both verbal and mathematical, to facilitate our understanding of these patterns. Many of the first quantitative models of cultural evolution were modified from existing concepts in theoretical population genetics because cultural evolution has many parallels with, as well as clear differences from, genetic evolution. Furthermore, cultural and genetic evolution can interact with one another and influence both transmission and selection. This interaction requires theoretical treatments of gene-culture coevolution and dual inheritance, in addition to purely cultural evolution. In addition, cultural evolutionary theory is a natural component of studies in demography, human ecology, and many other disciplines. Here, we review the core concepts in cultural evolutionary theory as they pertain to the extension of biology through culture, focusing on cultural evolutionary applications in population genetics, ecology, and demography. For each of these disciplines, we review the theoretical literature and highlight relevant empirical studies. We also discuss the societal implications of the study of cultural evolution and of the interactions of humans with one another and with their environment. cultural evolution | mathematical models | gene-culture coevolution | niche construction | demography H uman culture encompasses ideas, behaviors, and artifacts that can be learned and transmitted between individuals and can change over time (1). This process of transmission and change is reminiscent of Darwin's principle of descent with modification through natural selection, and Darwin himself drew this explicit link in the case of languages: "The formation of different languages and of distinct species, and the proofs that both have been developed through a gradual process, are curiously parallel" (2, 3). Theory underpins most scientific endeavors, and, in the 1970s, researchers began to lay the groundwork for cultural evolutionary theory, building on the neo-Darwinian synthesis of genetics and evolution by using verbal, diagrammatic, and mathematical models (4-8). These models are, by necessity, approximations of reality (9), but because they require researchers to specify their assumptions and extract the most important features from complex processes, they have proven exceedingly useful in advancing the study of cultural evolution (10). Here, we review the field of cultural evolutionary theory as it pertains to the extension of biology through culture. We focus on human culture because the bulk of cultural evolutionary models are human-centric and certain processes such as cumulative culture seem to be unique to humans. However, numerous nonhuman species also exhibit cultural transmission, and we consider the areas of overlap between models of human and animal culture in Discussion.The study of cultural evolution is im...

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Section: Models Of Culture and Human Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural evolutionary theory: How culture evolves and why it matters

Creanza

Kolodny

Feldman

2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

349

203

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…As discussed, the ethnographic and archaeological evidence demonstrates that forager-farmer frontiers are fl uid not just in terms of objects of exchange across the divide but also in terms of people (Headland and Reid 1989;Spielmann and Eder 1994). This exchange can occur in both directions, based on marital choices, ecological constraints, and economic incentives.…”

Section: Four Permutations: Ethnographic and Archaeological Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This intermarriage bias changed the political and demographic balance, and Zvelebil and Lillie (2000) argued that as time passed, farmers began to exploit hunter-gatherer territory and procured their own raw materials rather than trading with foragers. The fl ow of material goods tended to increase over time in the direction from farmers to foragers, as overexploitation typically pushed foragers into unsustainable use of high-ranking resources in competition for prestige materials traded by farmers (Cronk 1989;Layton et al 1991;Spielmann and Eder 1994;Thorp 2000). In southern Africa in the early 1900s, as Muckogodo huntergatherer women married non-Muckogodo pastoralists, livestock became an increasing element of bride wealth.…”

Section: Indigenous Females Enter the Colonizing Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kinship, Marriage, and the Genetics of Past Human Dispersals

2009

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The extent to which colonizing farmer populations have overwhelmed or "replaced" indigenous forager populations, as opposed to having intermarried with them, has been widely debated. Indigenous-colonist "admixture" is often represented in genetic models as a single parameter that, although parsimonious and simple, is incongruous with the sex-specifi c nature of mtDNA and Y-chromosome data. To help interpret genetic patterns, we can construct useful null hypotheses about the generalized migration history of females (mtDNA) as opposed to males (Y chromosome), which differ signifi cantly in almost every ethnographically known society. We seek to integrate ethnographic knowledge into models that incorporate new social parameters for predicting geographic patterns in mtDNA and Y-chromosome distributions. We provide an example of a model simulation for the spread of agriculture in which this individual-scale evidence is used to refine the parameters. Abstract The extent to which colonizing farmer populations have overwhelmed or "replaced" indigenous forager populations, as opposed to having intermarried with them, has been widely debated. Indigenous-colonist "admixture" is often represented in genetic models as a single parameter that, although parsimonious and simple, is incongruous with the sex-specifi c nature of mtDNA and Y-chromosome data. To help interpret genetic patterns, we can construct useful null hypotheses about the generalized migration history of females (mtDNA) as opposed to males (Y chromosome), which differ significantly in almost every ethnographically known society. We seek to integrate ethnographic knowledge into models that incorporate new social parameters for predicting geographic patterns in mtDNA and Y-chromosome distributions.We provide an example of a model simulation for the spread of agriculture in which this individual-scale evidence is used to refi ne the parameters.Understanding the processes through which populations grow and disperse is crucial to the study of human history and diversity and forms a major topic in anthropology and other related disciplines. A key problem is determining the extent to which colonizing populations (e.g., modern humans, Neolithic farmers, European colonists) overwhelmed or "replaced" native populations (e.g., Neanderthals, hunter-gatherers, non-European indigenous societies), as opposed to having integrated into or intermarried with them. These issues have been debated by numerous researchers in a variety of different historical and regional contexts, but no consensus has yet been reached about whether or not it is possible to discern any general patterns. Here, we aim to contribute to a more sophisticated understanding of human migratory activity by integrating data drawn from several disciplines, namely, archaeology, ethnography, and human genetics. Our critique focuses on the highly infl uential wave of advance model of human dispersals, as fi rst developed by Ammerman and Cavalli-Sforza (1984). We argue that this model is not equipped to con...

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“…Trabajos etnográficos, etnoarqueológicos y arqueológicos ayudaron a superar la dicotomía cazadores-recolectores/productores, planteando la necesidad de ver una gama de situaciones entre estos extremos (Politis 1996;Rindos 1984;Spielmann y Eder 1994;Smith 2001). Esto implica considerar situaciones de interacción entre ellos (Headland y Reid 1989) y estrategias que combinen estos extremos de caza-producción.…”

Section: Cazadores Maíces Y Agricultoresunclassified

Isótopos Estables Y Consumo De Maíz en El Centro Occidente Argentino: Tendencias Temporales Y Espaciales

2010

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Con la intención de evaluar la incorporación del maíz en las poblaciones del centro occidente de Argentina, el límite prehispánico de la agricultura americana, el trabajo explora la variabilidad espacial y cronológica en los valores de δ 13 C en colágeno, apatita y δ 15 N en muestras humanas. El estudio incluye 104 muestras arqueológicas humanas registradas entre 32° S y 40° S con cronologías de los últimos 6.000 años. También se presenta información sobre la ecología isotópica de la región. Los resultados muestran una baja correlación tanto en latitud como en tiempo con los valores de δ 13 C. Los valores que señalan una importancia significativa del maíz en la dieta se registran en el sector más septentrional y durante los últimos 1.500 años. A pesar de esa tendencia, hay una notoria variabilidad entre muestras, inclusive contemporáneas y localizadas en los mismos sectores. Los resultados debilitan la supuesta dispersión gradual en espacio y tiempo del maíz mostrando un patrón de alta heterogeneidad en cuanto a la importancia del maíz en el límite sur de la dispersión agrícola.Palabras claves: centro occidente argentino, maíz prehispánico, dieta humana, isótopos estables. This work explores the chronological and spatial variability of collagen and apatite δ 13 C and collagen δ 15 N values for human remains, in order to evaluate the incorporation of corn in the diet in central-western

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Hunters and Farmers: Then and Now

Cited by 69 publications

References 18 publications

Cultural evolutionary theory: How culture evolves and why it matters

Cultural evolutionary theory: How culture evolves and why it matters

Kinship, Marriage, and the Genetics of Past Human Dispersals

Isótopos Estables Y Consumo De Maíz en El Centro Occidente Argentino: Tendencias Temporales Y Espaciales

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