Was culture cumulative in the Palaeolithic?

Abstract

This paper assesses the evidence for cumulative culture in the Palaeolithic through the lens of the most widely available line of evidence: knapped stone. Two types of cumulative culture are defined: additive traits in an individual’s repertoire, versus a population wide stock of skills. Complexity may both cumulate within a single realm of expertise such as stone knapping, or may accumulate with multiple realms of expertise, such as the conjunction of stone knapping and bead technology. The Palaeolithic emergence of the social transmission and innovation traits that underpin cumulativity are described and assessed in relation to the evidence for cumulative culture. Examples of local population continuity are assessed for inter-generational increases in complexity as predicted by cumulative culture models. At an individual level, all cultures can be considered cumulative; at a population level cumulative culture may be entirely absent from the Palaeolithic.