Human Social Evolution: A Comparison of Hunter-gatherer and Chimpanzee Social Organization

Layton, Robert; O’Hara, Sean J.

doi:10.5871/bacad/9780197264522.003.0005

Cited by 43 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…While these peaks do not occur during every cold stage, or last for their duration, a crosscorrelation analysis of the NGRIP curve and the summed 14 C probability distribution does show a weak negative correlation (coefficient ¼ À0.224 (0 time-lag)). This contrasts with the data for ethnographic hunteregatherers which show a positive correlation between temperature (through its impact of animal and plant biomass) and hunteregatherer regional population densities (Binford, 2001;Layton and O'Hara, 2010;Marlowe, 2005). One possible explanation for this discrepancy is that the 14 C dates are not measuring population fluctuations, but instead reflect fluctuations in mobility (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

“…This could refer either to differences in overall group mobility strategy which impact how often groups move home bases and the number of non-residential sites they generate (e.g. Binford's (1980) continuum of 'logistic' and 'residential' mobility), or seasonal/annual population aggregations and dispersals ('fissionefusion'; Aureli et al, 2008;Layton and O'Hara, 2010).…”

Section: Mobility-based Explanations For the Patterns Seenmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Upper Palaeolithic population histories of Southwestern France: a comparison of the demographic signatures of 14C date distributions and archaeological site counts

French

Collins

2015

Journal of Archaeological Science

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a b s t r a c tRadiocarbon date frequency distributions and archaeological site counts are two popular proxies used to investigate prehistoric demography, following the assumption that variations in these data reflect fluctuations in the relative size and distribution of past populations. However, the two approaches are rarely applied to the same data-set and their applicability is heavily conditioned by the archaeological record in question, particularly research histories, agendas, and funding availability. In this paper we use both types of data to examine the population history of the Upper Palaeolithic hunteregatherers (~40 000e12 000 cal BP) of Southwestern France, comparing the demographic signatures generated.Both proxies produce similar signatures across the Upper Palaeolithic sequence of the region, strengthening the interpretation of relative demographic changes as the cause of the pattern. In particular, a marked population decline is seen in both datasets during the Late Gravettian (~28 000 cal BP), as well as a population increase in the Late Solutrean (~25 000 cal BP) supporting the notion that the region acted as a population refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum. Where the two proxies diverge in the demographic signatures they produce, the radiocarbon date distribution shows peaks compared to troughs in site counts; the opposite pattern expected given taphonomic issues surrounding cultural carbon. Despite differences in chronological resolution and sampling bias, our data suggest that the two proxies can be considered broadly equivalent; a finding which warrants the investigation of prehistoric demography in regions where either extensive survey data or radiometric dating programmes are unavailable. While some preliminary observations are made, the impact of changing mobility on diachronic patterns seen in both proxies remains, however, difficult to assess.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Mobility-based Explanations For the Patterns Seenmentioning

confidence: 98%

Upper Palaeolithic population histories of Southwestern France: a comparison of the demographic signatures of 14C date distributions and archaeological site counts

French

Collins

2015

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…While the focus of this study has been documenting relative demographic change rather than explaining it, another possible line of enquiry to select between competing patterns could be the comparison between the patterns generated and the patterns expected. Both group size and population density of ethnographically documented hunter-gatherers are known to vary according to environmental factors (Binford, 2001;Birdsell, 1953Birdsell, , 1958Birdsell, , 1968Grove, 2009;Johnson, 2014;Layton and O'Hara, 2010;Marlowe, 2005). The comparison between the results generated by each proxy and the expected response of hunter-gatherers to the prevailing climatic and environmental conditions during a given 1 It is unclear how the results of this current study impact on this previously published study of demographic change during an earlier period in the region.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 78%

The demography of the Upper Palaeolithic hunter–gatherers of Southwestern France: A multi-proxy approach using archaeological data

French

2015

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

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a b s t r a c tDemographic change is increasingly cited as an explanation for many of the patterns seen in the Palaeolithic archaeological record, following the assumption of a relationship between population size and material culture espoused by dual inheritance theory. However, the empirical testing of this relationship relies on the ability to extract information about past population patterns from the archaeological record. Using the extensive and well-studied record of the Upper Palaeolithic (39,500-11,500 cal BP) hunter-gatherers of Southwestern France as a case-study, this paper compares the evidence for changes in relative population size as seen in three popular archaeological proxies for demographic change (site counts, site sizes, and occupation intensity estimates). These proxies present conflicting results across the sequence; a finding which is explored through the impact of taphonomic biases and past research agendas. Numbers of sheltered sites and quantities of retouched stone tools are suggested to be the most reliable demographic proxies. The problem of equifinality of interpretation in archaeological proxies for demography is examined for the Aurignacian and Gravettian periods in the region, with changes in lithic raw material, faunal acquisition strategies, and hunter-gatherer mobility all potentially contributing to the patterns documented.

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“…This increase is likely due to the steepness of the male CoT curve which shows dramatically higher costs at slower walking speeds (Figure 1). It is possible that the energetic constraints around walking speeds help explain widespread ethnographic observations of single sex travel parties, who often travel different distances 6 Journal of Anthropology [74,[77][78][79][80]. In fact, new work on the Hadza suggests that sex differences in spatial awareness stem specifically from the fact that males travel alone and females travel together [81].…”

Section: Individuals Walking Togethermentioning

confidence: 99%

Size and Shape: Morphology's Impact on Human Speed and Mobility

Wall-Scheffler

2012

Journal of Anthropology

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While human sexual dimorphism is generally expected to be the result of differential reproductive strategies, it has the potential to create differences in the energetics of locomotion and the speed at which each morph travels, particularly since people have been shown to choose walking speeds around their metabolic optimum. Here, people of varying sizes walked around a track at four self-selected speeds while their metabolic rate was collected, in order to test whether the size variation within a population could significantly affect the shape of the optimal walking curve. The data show that larger people have significantly faster optimal walking speeds, higher costs at their optimal speed, and a more acute optimal walking curve (thus an increased penalty for walking at suboptimal speeds). Bigger people who also have wider bitrochanteric breadths have lower metabolic costs at their minimum than bigger people with a more narrow bitrochanteric breadth. Finally, tibia length significantly positively predicts optimal walking speed. These results suggest sex-specific walking groups typical of living human populations may be the result of energy maximizing strategies. In addition, testable hypotheses of group strategies are put forth.

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Human Social Evolution: A Comparison of Hunter-gatherer and Chimpanzee Social Organization

Cited by 43 publications

References 21 publications

Upper Palaeolithic population histories of Southwestern France: a comparison of the demographic signatures of 14C date distributions and archaeological site counts

Upper Palaeolithic population histories of Southwestern France: a comparison of the demographic signatures of 14C date distributions and archaeological site counts

The demography of the Upper Palaeolithic hunter–gatherers of Southwestern France: A multi-proxy approach using archaeological data

Size and Shape: Morphology's Impact on Human Speed and Mobility

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