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Phylogeny vs reticulation in prehistory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Peter Bellwood
Peter Bellwood*
Affiliation:
Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
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Extract

Two pure and opposing models exist to give historical account of the structure in modern cultural patterns. A phylogenetic account explores divergence from some shared commonality (the word ‘phylogenetic’ is from the Greek words for ‘tribal origins’). A reticulate account concentrates on a network of interactions (the word ‘reticulate’ comes via French from the Latin for ‘small net’). It follows that neither model may tell all the story. These continuing issues are explored with particular attention to the relations between histories as they are inferred from archaeological and from linguistic patterns.

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Antiquity , Volume 70 , Issue 270 , December 1996, pp. 881 - 890
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Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 1996

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