Sociopolitical evolution, population clustering, and technology among early sedentary communities in northeastern Andes, Colombia

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, vol. 76, pp. 101628

Abstract

Several prehistoric societies did not develop robust hierarchical systems even after centuries of population clustering and advancements in constructing structural earthworks and crafting materials like ceramics and alloys. What social dynamics characterized these non-state complex societies and how did they influence technological production? Here we analyze population clustering and hierarchical structures through two regional settlement studies in the northeastern Andes of Colombia. Employing both a traditional Inverse Distance Weighting interpolation (IDW) approach and an unsupervised machine learning method, Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN), we identify settlement clusters within the pre-Columbian sedentary settlement sequence. Analyzing rank-size distribution and A -coefficients based on identified clusters, we discern differences in hierarchical systems between the two regions. Results reveal that these early sedentary communities did not establish strong settlement hierarchies over centuries of clustering. Our findings suggest that the lack of robust hierarchical systems in Muisca societies may be attributed to slow and non-linear settlement clustering and limited site specialization. We compare this with evidence for technologies in the Muisca area, arguing that the emergence of strong and permanent settlement clustering is a threshold for early communities before developing information-storage technologies, such as standardized representations for counting or writing.

Authors 2

1. Sebastian Fajardo corresponding Aachen Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University, Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), Einsteinweg 55, Leiden 2333 CC, South Holland, the Netherlands

2. Pedro María Argüello García corresponding

   Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia

   Affiliation as printed

   Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Escuela de Ciencias Sociales, Avenida Central del Norte 39-115, Tunja 150003, Boyacá, Colombia