Cross-cultural analysis of pastoral adaptations and organizational states: A preliminary study

Abstract

Pastoral adaptations span a variety of organizational states rang-ing from self-sufficient, mixed-subsistence agropastoralists to eco-nomic specialists dependent on trade with agriculturalists for sub-sistence. A preliminary study of ethnographically documented pastoralist cases demonstrates robust relationships between envi-ronmental variables relevant to plant biomass, herd structure, mo-bility, labor organization, and subsistence dependence. Three orga-nizational states of pastoral adaptations are distinguished by subsistence dependence on food acquired through trade, the geo-graphic scale of mobility, and habitat variables. The archaeologi-cal sequence at Nabta Playa, a Neolithic site in the western desert of Egypt with early evidence for the presence of domesticated cattle, is used to illustrate the utility of this research for archaeologists con-cerned with the origins and evolution of pastoral adaptations. 151 Author’s Note: Fred Wendorf and Lew Binford inspired this research with their interest and support. Professor Beltrami generously answered (in English) a number of my questions about the Teda of Tibesti. Kit Nelson prepared the map showing the location of Nabta Playa. The postdoctoral research presented here was funded jointly by Professor Wendorf’