Stabilization of cultural innovations depends on population density: testing an epidemiological model of cultural evolution against a global dataset of rock art sites and climate-based estimates of ancient population densities.Short title: Cultural epidemiology: the case of rock art
R. Walker, A. Eriksson, C. M. Ruiz, T. H. Newton, F. Casalegno
The paper tests an epidemiological model of cultural evolution using rock art data and population density estimates, finding that population density above a critical threshold is necessary for cultural innovation stability.
bioRxiv · Jun 8, 2020Paleontology