Synchronicities and coincidences in world prehistory

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• Dr Rowan McLaughlin
• Monday 27 January 2025, 16:00-17:00
• McDonald Institute Seminar Room, Department of Archaeology, Downing Site.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Akshyeta Suryanarayan.

Human history is marked by episodes of demographic fluorescence and collapse, driving profound changes in material culture, agriculture, and settlement patterns. While recent census records offer insight into population trends, uncovering these dynamics over deep time requires archaeological data. Meta-analyses of radiocarbon data have revealed substantial fluctuations in population density across time and space. The underlying drivers of these patterns, particularly the role of climate, are largely obscure. Especially noteworthy is the synchronicity that exists in the rate of production and deposition of archaeological materials for cultures located far apart, which is a recurring pattern not predicted by any current archaeological theory. This talk delves deeper into this problem using model-driven approach to understanding human population ecology and through synthesizing insights from archaeology. Computational models formalise the mechanisms by which innovations, such as agricultural surpluses, influence fertility and demographic transitions, and are used to explore how synchronicity of population changes across geographically dispersed regions might have occurred.

This talk will be in-person at the McDonald Institute Seminar Room, but you may also join online via Zoom. Register here: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/feS71pMITV6B56t053N7Sw#/registration

This talk is part of the Computational and Digital Archaeology Lab (CDAL) series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Computational and Digital Archaeology Lab (CDAL)
• McDonald Institute Seminar Room, Department of Archaeology, Downing Site

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