Cultural Hitchhiking in the Context of the First Agricultural Groups of South-Western Europe: A Simulation Study
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Universidad de La Laguna
info
- Salvador Pardo-Gordó (ed. lit.)
- Sean Bergin (ed. lit.)
ISSN: 2509-9574
ISBN: 978-3-030-83642-9
Año de publicación: 2021
Páginas: 105-124
Tipo: Capítulo de Libro
Resumen
The purpose of this work is to explore hitchhiking as the main process responsible for the diversity of cultural items in the Western Mediterranean in the context of the spread of agriculture during the Neolithic (8000 to 7200 cal BP). The use of hitchhiking in a cultural context is defined as the transmission of neutral traits (e.g. linguistics) with variants that offer some advantage (i.e. political systems). In this research, a cellular automaton model is applied. Its purpose is to simulate the dispersal of the Neolithic and its cultural consequences based on the selection of cultural traits via hitchhiking phenomenon. The results of this work suggest that markers of cultural hitchhiking can be identified during the early Neolithic in the Western Mediterranean.