Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers

Prehistoric Hunters-Gatherers : The Emergence of Cultural Complexity

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Prehistoric Hunters-Gatherers : The Emergence of Cultural Complexity

Contenu

Contributors
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I Theoretical Considerations
1 Aspects of Hunter-Gatherer Complexity
Retrospect
Hunter-Gatherer Complexity
Conclusions
References
2 Prehistoric Developments in the American Midcontinent and in Brittany, Northwest France
Introduction: The Fallacy of "Hot" and "Cold" Societies
Mesolithic and Archaic
Transitions
Neolithic and Woodland
Conclusions: Just a Just-So Story?
Notes
References
3 Complexity and Scale in the Study of Fisher-Gatherer-Hunters: An Example from the Eastern United States
Fisher-Gatherer-Hunters: A Quindecennial Reexamination
Advances in the Understanding of Complexity among FGH Societies
Toward a Synthetic Processual Anthropology
Complexity in the Shell Mound Archaic of Western Kentucky
The "Theoretical Twilight Zone
Notes
References
4 Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers: The Meaning of Social Complexity
Egalitarian Structures
Population Growth and Hunter-Gatherer Homeostasis
Social Complexity as an Economic Buffer
Population Density and Social Conflict
Testing the Model
Summary
Notes
References
Part II North America
5 Whaling as an Organizing Focus in Northwestern Alaskan Eskimo Societies
Introduction
The Protohistoric Baseline
The Economic and Dietary Importance of Whaling
The Prehistoric Situation
Development of Complexity in a Northern Hunting Society, A.D. 800 to Contact: A Model
Conclusion
References
6 Hierarchies, Stress, and Logistical Strategies Among Hunter-Gatherers in Northwestern North America
Introduction
Subsistence Strategies, Intensification, and Information
Archaeological Implications
Discussion and Conclusions
Notes
References
7 Complex Hunter-Gatherers in Interior British Columbia
Introduction
The Middle Fraser Canyon
Measuring Inequality
Identifying the Sources of Inequality
Discussion and Conclusions
References
8 Long-Term Trends to Sedentism and the Emergence of Complexity in the American Midwest
Introduction
Explanation of Sedentism
Long-Term Change
Cost-Benefit Arguments
Risk-Management Practices
The Midwest Archaeological Record
The Challenge of the Midwest Record
Conclusion
References
Part III Old World
9 Patterns of Intensification as Seen from the Upper Paleolithic of the Central Russian Plain
Introduction
The Study Area
Chronology
Chronological Changes in Man-Land Relations
Chronological Changes in Man-Man Relations
Conclusion
References
10 The Ecological Basis of Social Complexity in the Upper Paleolithic of Southwestern France
Introduction
Ecological Features of the Upper Paleolithic
The Role of Salmon in Upper Paleolithic Procurement Systems
Demographic and Social Patterns
Stability and Change in the Upper Paleolithic Sequence
References
11 Ritual Communication, Social Elaboration, and the Variable Trajectories of Paleolithic Material Culture
Introduction
Paleolithic Art and Sociocultural Inferences
Ritual Communication and Social Hierarchies
Paleolithic Art as Formalized Systems of Visual Communication
Differential Trajectories
Some Conclusions
Notes
References
12 Mobility in the Early Mesolithic of Northwestern Europe: An Alternative Explanation
Introduction
The Early Mesolithic Crisis
The Irish Evidence
The English Evidence
The Southern Scandinavian Evidence
Discussion
References
13 Affluent Foragers of Mesolithic Southern Scandinavia
Introduction
Land and Sea
Flora and Fauna
Prehistory of Southern Scandinavia
Aspects of Change
Affluence and Complexity
References
14 Preagricultural Sedentism: The Natufian Example
Introduction
System Stability
Archaeological Evidence from the Levant
Stability in the Natufian
Summary
References
15 Intensification and Australian Prehistory
Introduction
Static Models
Intensification
Archaeology
Discussion
Social Forces
Summary and Wider Implications
References
Part IV Retrospect and Prospect
16 "Now Let's Invent Agriculture. . .": A Critical Review of Concepts of Complexity Among Hunter-Gatherers
Adaptational versus Transformational Explanations of Change
What is Affluence among Hunter-Gatherers?
How Do Hunter-Gatherers Intensify?
Mobility Versus Sedentism
References
17 Complex Hunter-Gatherers: Retrospect and Prospect
Major Themes
Approaches to Explanation
Prospects
References
Index