Spikins, Penny orcid.org/0000-0002-9174-5168, Dytham, Calvin orcid.org/0000-0002-4111-9484, French, Jennifer et al. (1 more author) (2021) Theoretical and methodological approaches to ecological changes, social behaviour and human intergroup tolerance 300,000 to 30,0000bp. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory. ISSN 1573-7764
Abstract
Archaeological evidence suggests that important shifts were taking place in the character of human social behaviours 300,000 to 30,000 years ago. New artefact types appear and are disseminated with greater frequency. Transfers of both raw materials and finished artefacts take place over increasing distances, implying larger scales of regional mobility and more frequent and friendlier interactions between different communities. While these changes occur during a period of increasing environmental variability, the relationship between ecological changes and transformations in social behaviours is elusive. Here, we explore a possible theoretical approach and methodology for understanding how ecological contexts can influence selection pressures acting on intergroup social behaviours. We focus on the relative advantages and disadvantages of intergroup tolerance in different ecological contexts using agent-based modelling (ABM). We assess the relative costs and benefits of different 'tolerance' levels in between-group interactions on survival and resource exploitation in different environments. The results enable us to infer a potential relationship between ecological changes and proposed changes in between-group behavioural dynamics. We conclude that increasingly harsh environments may have driven changes in hormonal and emotional responses in humans leading to increasing intergroup tolerance, i.e. transformations in social behaviour associated with ‘self-domestication’. We argue that changes in intergroup tolerance is a more parsimonious explanation for the emergence of what has been seen as ‘modern human behaviour’ than changes in hard aspects of cognition or other factors such as cognitive adaptability or population size.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2021 |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Biology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 20 Nov 2020 16:50 |
Last Modified: | 07 Feb 2025 00:30 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-020-09503-5 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s10816-020-09503-5 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:168185 |
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Filename: Spikins2021_Article_TheoreticalAndMethodologicalAp.pdf
Description: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to Ecological Changes, Social Behaviour and Human Intergroup Tolerance 300,000 to 30,000 BP
Licence: CC-BY 2.5