The debate on the causes of conflict in human societies has deep roots. In particular, the extent of conflict in hunter-gatherer groups remains unclear. Some authors suggest that large-scale violence only arose with the spreading of agriculture and the building of complex societies. To shed light on this issue, we developed a model based on operatorial techniques simulating population-resource dynamics within a two-dimensional lattice, with humans and natural resources interacting in each cell of the lattice. The model outcomes under different conditions were compared with recently available demographic data for prehistoric South America. Only under conditions that include migration among cells and conflict was the model able to consistently reproduce the empirical data at a continental scale. We argue that the interplay between resource competition, migration, and conflict drove the population dynamics of South America after the colonization phase and before the introduction of agriculture. The relation between population and resources indeed emerged as a key factor leading to migration and conflict once the carrying capacity of the environment has been reached.

Gargano, F., Tamburino, L., Bagarello, F., Bravo, G. (2017). Large-scale effects of migration and conflict in pre-agricultural groups: Insights from a dynamic model. PLOS ONE, 12(3), 1-13 [10.1371/journal.pone.0172262].

Large-scale effects of migration and conflict in pre-agricultural groups: Insights from a dynamic model

GARGANO, Francesco;BAGARELLO, Fabio;
2017-01-01

Abstract

The debate on the causes of conflict in human societies has deep roots. In particular, the extent of conflict in hunter-gatherer groups remains unclear. Some authors suggest that large-scale violence only arose with the spreading of agriculture and the building of complex societies. To shed light on this issue, we developed a model based on operatorial techniques simulating population-resource dynamics within a two-dimensional lattice, with humans and natural resources interacting in each cell of the lattice. The model outcomes under different conditions were compared with recently available demographic data for prehistoric South America. Only under conditions that include migration among cells and conflict was the model able to consistently reproduce the empirical data at a continental scale. We argue that the interplay between resource competition, migration, and conflict drove the population dynamics of South America after the colonization phase and before the introduction of agriculture. The relation between population and resources indeed emerged as a key factor leading to migration and conflict once the carrying capacity of the environment has been reached.
2017
Settore MAT/07 - Fisica Matematica
Gargano, F., Tamburino, L., Bagarello, F., Bravo, G. (2017). Large-scale effects of migration and conflict in pre-agricultural groups: Insights from a dynamic model. PLOS ONE, 12(3), 1-13 [10.1371/journal.pone.0172262].
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
journal.pone.0172262.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Versione Editoriale
Dimensione 1.59 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.59 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10447/222987
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 3
  • Scopus 9
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 6
social impact