Modeling Spatial Innovation Diffusion from Radiocarbon Dates and Regression Residuals: The Case of Early Old World Pottery

摘要: This article introduces a method of exploratory analysis the geographical factors influencing large-scale innovation diffusion, and illustrates its application to case early pottery dispersal in Old World. Regression tech- niques are used identify broad-scale spatiotemporal trends innovation's first occurrence, regression residuals then analyzed variation (climate, biomes) that may have influenced local rates diffusion. The boundaries between modeled diffusion zones segregate western half map into Eurasian hunter-gatherer pot- tery-using zone affiliated by cultural descent Siberian center innovation, lower-latitude farming pastoralist north African innovation. However, correlation coefficients suggest this baseline model has limited explanatory power, with patterning indicating habitat also greatly affected spread new technology. Earlier-than-predicted ages for tend occur locations mean annual temperature range approximately 0-15°C. favorable typically includes Med- iterranean, grassland, temperate forest biome types, but these, Mediterranean deciduous biomes only ones on which indicate earlier-than-predicted observed dates.