Testing complex networks of interaction at the onset of the Near Eastern Neolithic using modelling of obsidian exchange
Résumé
In this paper,we explore the conditions that led to the origins and development
of the Near Eastern Neolithic using mathematical modelling of obsidian
exchange. The analysis presented expands on previous research, which established
that the down-the-line model could not explain long-distance obsidian
distribution across the Near East during this period. Drawing from outcomes
of new simulations and their comparison with archaeological data,we provide
results that illuminate the presence of complex networks of interaction among
the earliest farming societies. We explore a network prototype of obsidian
exchange with distant links which replicates the long-distance movement of
ideas, goods and people during the Early Neolithic. Our results support the
idea that during the first (Pre-Pottery Neolithic A) and second (Pre-
Pottery Neolithic B) phases of the Early Neolithic, the complexity of obsidian
exchange networks gradually increased. We propose then a refined model
(the optimized distant link model) whereby long-distance exchange was largely
operated by certain interconnected villages, resulting in the appearance
of a relatively homogeneous Neolithic cultural sphere. We hypothesize that
the appearance of complex interaction and exchange networks reduced risks
of isolation caused by restricted mobility as groups settled and argue that
these networks partially triggered and were crucial for the success of the
Neolithic Revolution. Communities became highly dynamic through the sharing
of experiences and objects, while the networks that developed acted as a
repository of innovations, limiting the risk of involution.