Fascinating stuff, I'd like to know more. Does anyone know a better source? I found the original article but sadly not freely available. This psmag.com article is thin and the graph of the data is so small I can't read much off of it. Google couldn't find any larger versions of the graph.
Analysis of DNA uncovers a rough dating scene after the advent of agriculture
41–50 of 93 posts
Re: Analysis of DNA uncovers a rough dating scene after the advent of agriculture
#42Since a lot of early civilizations seemed to be very slave heavy I wonder if that had anything to do with it. Agriculture requires more labour which leads to more slaving. Male slaves would work the fields with less of a chance for reproduction, and the landowners/slaveowners would have their pick of the female slaves.
Very good. That's probably an important factor.
Re: Analysis of DNA uncovers a rough dating scene after the advent of agriculture
#43Not particularly surprising. In the ancient world, men were often killed in various ways (conflict, hunting accidents) or enslaved so the gender ratio was quite skewed. I mean, typical ancient warfare meant you attack a town, kill/enslave all the men and boys, rape all the women, and ensure your culture's dominance over them for the next generation or two...
I have a hunch that this ancient way of warfare is still the optimal way to destroy a culture and achieve total victory. Not that it's acceptable in any way, but imagine if the US had done this in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is heart-wrenching to think about, but I think it would have worked.
Re: Analysis of DNA uncovers a rough dating scene after the advent of agriculture
#44"In more recent history, as a global average, about four or five women reproduced for every one man" Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the same as saying one man, on average, will father a child with about four or five different women? I suppose given the timescale being discussed, "recent history" may mean the last few centuries, but this average still sounds very high to me.
4 or 5 might be high, but it's still noticeable anecdotally (although more rigorous analysis would be interesting).
My ex-wife and I have no children, but her current fiancee has children with his ex-wife (who has no other children), and she and him plan to have children together. My dad has children with his ex-wife (who has no children with other men) and current wife, but my mom (his current wife) has no children with her ex-husband.
So in a very small anecdotal sample, men who have children may often have children with 2 (or more, presumably) women over a lifetime, even though at any given time, monogamy prevails.
Re: Analysis of DNA uncovers a rough dating scene after the advent of agriculture
#45Eunuch's and harems. The rich and powerful males kept all their local women in a harem and forced all the other competing males to become eunuchs. Not fun, but it fits with the Monty Python version of history.... ;)
Re: Analysis of DNA uncovers a rough dating scene after the advent of agriculture
#46My 16 yr old is interested in pursuing this field (not sure what to call it - 'Genetic Anthropology'?). Can anyone recommend online resources to help a newbie get the lay of the land? Or in-person resources (talks, exhibits, clubs etc.) near Palo Alto CA ??
You should email Razib Khan at UC Davis. He's been blogging about this stuff for years. And just earlier today, the NYT announced that he's been brought on as one of their new opinion writers.
Re: Analysis of DNA uncovers a rough dating scene after the advent of agriculture
#47Its the same even today.
Re: Analysis of DNA uncovers a rough dating scene after the advent of agriculture
#48Not particularly surprising. In the ancient world, men were often killed in various ways (conflict, hunting accidents) or enslaved so the gender ratio was quite skewed. I mean, typical ancient warfare meant you attack a town, kill/enslave all the men and boys, rape all the women, and ensure your culture's dominance over them for the next generation or two...
I have a hunch that this ancient way of warfare is still the optimal way to destroy a culture and achieve total victory. Not that it's acceptable in any way, but imagine if the US had done this in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is heart-wrenching to think about, but I think it would have worked.
This is pretty much how Isis conducts their warfare.
Re: Analysis of DNA uncovers a rough dating scene after the advent of agriculture
#49Not particularly surprising. In the ancient world, men were often killed in various ways (conflict, hunting accidents) or enslaved so the gender ratio was quite skewed. I mean, typical ancient warfare meant you attack a town, kill/enslave all the men and boys, rape all the women, and ensure your culture's dominance over them for the next generation or two...
I have a hunch that this ancient way of warfare is still the optimal way to destroy a culture and achieve total victory. Not that it's acceptable in any way, but imagine if the US had done this in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is heart-wrenching to think about, but I think it would have worked.
An argument could probably be made that it worked fairly well in subduing East Germany after WWII.
Re: Analysis of DNA uncovers a rough dating scene after the advent of agriculture
#50If you guys are interested in this stuff, I highly recommend "The Red Queen" by Matt Ridley. http://amazon.com/Red-Queen-Evolution-Human-Nature/dp/006055...
Bryan Sykes has written a series of popular science books about these kinds of genetic discoveries. Very interesting.