Stasis and change in Paleolithic times. A brief assessment of the Lower and Middle Paleolithic evolutionary dynamics
Stasis and change in Paleolithic times. A brief assessment of the Lower and Middle Paleolithic evolutionary dynamics

Summary/Abstract: Based on dual-inheritance and macro-evolutionary models, the paper focuses on the conformist dimension of cultural transmission and on the growth limits inherent in foragers’ eco-cultural niche building. The apparent lack of innovation noticed in the Lower and Middle Paleolithic is briefly explored. The crucial role of demographical networks in the spread and persistence of innovation is also emphasized.Several lines of evidence suggest an early, Middle Pleistocene age for the emergence of typically human cooperative arrangements and cultural inheritance systems. A mosaic pattern of innovations is also recorded during the Middle and particularly Late Pleistocene. Their repeated failure in spreading and lasting is attributed to the dominant opportunist forager strategy and ultimately to the small size and vulnerability of local demographic networks.

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