Network Analysis of Magdalenian (Upper Paleolithic) Perforated Disks

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Archaeological Applications of Network Analysis" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Magdalenian (ca. 20,000 to 14,000 cal BP) of western and central Europe witnessed both a rapid expansion of Upper Paleolithic human populations after the Last Glacial Maximum and the creation and circulation of an unprecedented abundance and diversity of portable decorated items. The materials, design details, and chrono-spatial distribution of these visual displays suggest changes in the types and patterns of social connections among hunter-forager groups as they navigated post-glacial landscapes. Using similarities and differences in the decorative elements of one particularly common form of visual display—perforated disks—we employ formal network analysis to test hypotheses about Magdalenian social networks. Quantitative and graphical analyses of node-tie relationships at multiple scales reveal a complex social landscape that was influenced not only by geographical distance, topography, and local environments but also by the reinforcement of social identity through manipulations of visual displays at multiple social scales. Our results illustrate both the promise and pitfalls of using Paleolithic archaeological data for network analysis.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeological Applications of Network Analysis   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38996.0