Does culture evolve?: testing evolutionary theories of culture through a case study of El Khiam points from three sites in the Pre Pottery Neolithic A of the Southern Levant

This thesis addresses the question of whether human culture evolves. Evolutionary approaches to understanding culture are introduced, synthesised and challenges considered to provide context and focus to the thesis. Cultural evolution theories have been used to explain much of human complexity, but they remain contested and empirical studies are needed to provide support or challenge to the theories. Archaeological approaches to testing theories are reviewed to help develop a research methodology to address this through a case study. The case study is presented, examining El Khiam points, small stone arrowheads or perforators from three contrasting sites of the early Neolithic in the Levant. Two complementary analytical techniques, variation and phylogenetic analysis, are applied to examine the patterns of attributes of El Khiam points. Variation analysis, specifically the coefficient of variation, is used to show patterns of reducing constraint in metrical attributes of points across the three sites. Phylogenetic analysis is applied to attributes related to the shape of the points, and how they were made. This shows the remarkable preservation of distinctive patterns of manufacture within each site over long periods of time to show a pattern of similarly within and differences between the three sites. The results of the analysis are interpreted using cultural evolution theories, particularly social learning and transmission processes, and developed to explore social structure and community identity in the Neolithic. The results of the case study enable a further test of the predictions of cultural evolution theories. Combined with detailed studies of the emergence of early Neolithic communities, the theories provide a good model in this instance, allowing, with limitations, a productive interpretation of the evidence. Within the idea of culture and evolution as models of complexity the conclusion is reached that culture can reasonably be said to evolve.

Grantor dc:publisher

Oxford Brookes University

Year dc:date

2021

Author dc:creator

• Gorrie, Jon

Contributors dc:contributor

• Underdown, Simon
• Smith, Sam J.

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.24384/c3kg-xf86

OAI identifier oai:identifier

tle:dd87318d-8815-40c1-a967-3d948f54ce20:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1