Testing complex networks of interaction at the onset of the Near Eastern Neolithic using modelling of obsidian exchange

Résumé En

In this paper,we explore the conditions that led to the origins and developmentof the Near Eastern Neolithic using mathematical modelling of obsidianexchange. The analysis presented expands on previous research, which establishedthat the down-the-line model could not explain long-distance obsidiandistribution across the Near East during this period. Drawing from outcomesof new simulations and their comparison with archaeological data,we provideresults that illuminate the presence of complex networks of interaction amongthe earliest farming societies. We explore a network prototype of obsidianexchange with distant links which replicates the long-distance movement ofideas, goods and people during the Early Neolithic. Our results support theidea that during the first (Pre-Pottery Neolithic A) and second (Pre-Pottery Neolithic B) phases of the Early Neolithic, the complexity of obsidianexchange networks gradually increased. We propose then a refined model(the optimized distant link model) whereby long-distance exchange was largelyoperated by certain interconnected villages, resulting in the appearanceof a relatively homogeneous Neolithic cultural sphere. We hypothesize thatthe appearance of complex interaction and exchange networks reduced risksof isolation caused by restricted mobility as groups settled and argue thatthese networks partially triggered and were crucial for the success of theNeolithic Revolution. Communities became highly dynamic through the sharingof experiences and objects, while the networks that developed acted as arepository of innovations, limiting the risk of involution.