Controversy on paleodemography

Authors:

• Janusz Piontek,
• A. Weber

Abstract

Recent discussion expressed in scientific literature proves that these exist some reservations about the role of paleo-demographic investigation in general Phrehistoric research. This concerns mostly the congitive value of the results gained in paleodemography. This misunderstanding should be cleared up. Such reservations spring from an erroneous conviction that paleodemography should be viewed as a simple demography of Prehistoric populations. This seems to be a faulty view. Paleodemography is a separate discipline aiming at the description and explanation of biological characteristics, (e.g. state, dynamics and size), of Prehistoric populations mainly on the basis of archaeological, bone-material, evidence. The aims and specific, empirical material demand particular methods of data-processing and especially the theoretical, explanatory framework based upon the biological evolutionary theory. © 1990 Editrice II Sedicesimo.