This article employs archaeoethnology to investigate possible patterns of synchronous population growth among cities of the prehistoric New World. The author finds a pattern of settlement synchrony distinct from a pattern found in the prehistoric Old World, suggesting that global climate change may not be a key factor in understanding settlement synchrony. Macroregional political and economic processes such as long-distance trade are offered as partial explanations of settlement synchrony in the New World.

This article tests for universal patterns in cultural evolution by Guttman scaling on two different worldwide samples of archaeological traditions and on well-known archaeological sequences. The evidence is generally consistent with universal evolutionary sequences.

Using the ethnographic record, this study develops and tests the idea that community permeability may be used as an archaeological predictor of warfare. With the exception of pastoral societies, community permeability predicts warfare.

An extension of the author's 1993 study, An Archaeological Correlate of War, this study examines the relationship between community permeability and war in the ethnographic record using Naroll's study on household and population as a model with the aim of making inferences to the archaeological record.

This article stresses the use of multivariate analysis to study the emergence of states. The authors first discuss how social inequality, population density, and trade affect state development. Next, they turn to a time series regression to formally examine social stratification, urbanization, technological specialization as predictors of political integration. Finally, economic vulnerability and scalar stress are considered as possible underlying factors in the emergence of states.

This paper presents a comprehensive list of kinship patterns for grandparents, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews, siblings, cross-cousins, and siblings-in-law. The author based these typologies on over 1000 kinship terminologies from around the world. The geographical distributions of kinship patterns are also included.

This study replicates John L. Fischer's (1961) cross-cultural analysis to demonstrate the correlation between art styles and social hierarchy and postmarital residence. The author suggests that archaeological ceramics might be used to predict social characteristics of prehistoric societies.

This study replicates John L. Fischer's (1961) cross-cultural analysis to demonstrate the correlation between art styles and social hierarchy and postmarital residence. The author suggests that archaeological ceramics might be used to predict social characteristics of prehistoric societies.

This study replicates John L. Fischer's (1961) cross-cultural analysis to demonstrate the correlation between art styles and social hierarchy and postmarital residence. The author suggests that archaeological ceramics might be used to predict social characteristics of prehistoric societies.

This study replicates John L. Fischer's (1961) cross-cultural analysis to demonstrate the correlation between art styles and social hierarchy and postmarital residence. The author suggests that archaeological ceramics might be used to predict social characteristics of prehistoric societies.