UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Archaeology, demography and life history theory together can help us explain past and present population patterns

Shennan, S; Sear, R; (2021) Archaeology, demography and life history theory together can help us explain past and present population patterns. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences , 376 (1816) , Article 20190711. 10.1098/rstb.2019.0711. Green open access

[thumbnail of Shennan_and Sear Phil Trans101020 final text_submitted_web.pdf]
Preview
Text
Shennan_and Sear Phil Trans101020 final text_submitted_web.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (270kB) | Preview

Abstract

Population matters. Demographic patterns are both a cause and a consequence of human behaviour in other important domains, such as subsistence, cooperation, politics and culture. Demographers interested in contemporary and recent historical populations have rich data at their fingertips; the importance of demography means many interested parties have gathered demographic data, much of which is now readily available for all to explore. Those interested in the demography of the distant past are not so fortunate, given the lack of written records. Nevertheless, the emergence in recent years of a new interest in the demography of ancient populations has seen the development of a range of new methods for piecing together archaeological, skeletal and DNA evidence to reconstruct past population patterns. These efforts have found evidence in support of the view that the relatively low long-term population growth rates of prehistoric human populations, albeit ultimately conditioned by carrying capacities, may have been owing to ‘boom–bust’ cycles at the regional level; rapid population growth, followed by population decline. In fact, this archaeological research may have come to the same conclusion as some contemporary demographers: that demography can be remarkably hard to predict, at least in the short term. It also fits with evidence from biology that primates, and particularly humans, may be adapted to environmental variability, leading to associated demographic stochasticity. This evidence of the fluctuating nature of human demographic patterns may be of considerable significance in understanding our species' evolution, and of understanding what our species future demographic trajectories might be. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Cross-disciplinary approaches to prehistoric demography’.

Type: Article
Title: Archaeology, demography and life history theory together can help us explain past and present population patterns
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0711
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0711
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: life history theory, archaeology, Malthus, demography, palaeodemography
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology > Institute of Archaeology Gordon Square
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10119166
Downloads since deposit
136Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item