Thesis
The implications of coalitional enforcement and the adoption of the bow and arrow in the prehispanic Southwest
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2010
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/101175
Abstract
This thesis examines the potential correlation between group size and the introduction of the bow and arrow in the prehispanic U.S. Southwest. I explore a hypothesis proposed by Paul M. Bingham (1999) in which he uses biological, archaeological, and historical data to claim that coalitions of humans universally increased in size following increases in ability to remotely kill a non-cooperator. Coupling a larger group size with the ability to remotely kill a defector, groups are able to reduce risk to the punishers, and gain from the benefits that cooperation and larger group sizes bring. The hypothesis proposes that the “range and performance of [distance weaponry] limit the size and internal structure of cooperative human coalitions” (Bingham 2000:254). I present archaeological data that tend to support the coalitional enforcement hypothesis, as do behavioral experiments and theory on social dilemmas. One impact of the introduction of the bow and arrow seems to have been to precipitate important changes in coalitional enforcement and, subsequently, coalition size within the prehispanic Southwest.
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Details
- Title
- The implications of coalitional enforcement and the adoption of the bow and arrow in the prehispanic Southwest
- Creators
- Charles Alan Reed
- Contributors
- Timothy A. Kohler (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525372301842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis