Abstract
To clarify the mechanisms of how modern humans built a continually evolving culture while replacing Neanderthals, this report focuses on cross-boundary rituals that are attended by members of different groups. Field research on present-day modern humans shows that cross-cultural rituals constitute opportunities for distinguished individuals of different groups to communicate together and for young men to enter into marriage with other group members. An agent-based model simulation predicts that all agents accumulate cultural traits if agents with many traits participate in cross-boundary rituals and agents migrate between groups frequently. The significance of these rituals should be re-examined in light of the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans.
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Horiuchi, S., Kubota, S. (2013). The Effects of Cross-Boundary Rituals on Cultural Innovation. In: Akazawa, T., Nishiaki, Y., Aoki, K. (eds) Dynamics of Learning in Neanderthals and Modern Humans Volume 1. Replacement of Neanderthals by Modern Humans Series. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54511-8_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54511-8_14
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