Culture History
when was the culture history paradigm?
1914-1960
What article is being used?
Connolly et al. 2008
What article is being used?
Barlow 2002
Who's article are you using?
Spinden 1917
What are the two options for how agriculture spread?
coincidence (null) or choice (alternative)
What model and theory does Barlow 2002 use?
optimal foraging theory and diet breadth model
How did Spinden (1917) say that agriculture emerged?
mesoamerican hotspot, 3 crops (maize, beans and squash) were domesticated and then spread
Describe the null hypothesis.
agriculture spread occurred through neutral drift and change only occurred through mutations or copying errors
What is the prediction of the diet breadth model and the optimal foraging theory?
when high rank wild foods are no longer available to forage, agriculture will intensify because it ensures large quantities of food
What are the three environments he distinguishes and why are they important?
tropical, arid and temperate. crops would have to adapt and mutate to survive different areas
Describe the alternate hypothesis.
crops were personally selected based upon environmental abilities
Agriculture is typically intensified in what communities? What should intensive agriculture be associated with?
What evidence does Spinden (1917) provide?
pottery distribution patterns mimic the spread of agricultural material culture, which he suggests is through regional diffusion patterns. pottery suggests that there was a way to store and transport seeds/food
What is the evidence provided by Connolly et al. 2008?
3 crops co-occurred in southeast europe but not in central europe due to climate variability/viability, removal of adaptive pressures and cultural preferences based upon storage and transport. the periods of adjustment were due to environmental needs
What does Barlow (2002) use as evidence to prove the optimal foraging theory?
the energetic yields and caloric intake of foraging and agriculture were relatively the same. once high rank foragables were available again, farms were abandoned