ABSTRACT

There are three models of hominin society that apply to the British Lower Palaeolithic which the author briefly describe. It differs somewhat from that of Dunbar in that it provides a more active role for hominins to create their social lifestyles, and it deals specifically with individual social relations. The author speculates that it is possible that some non-heritable characteristics can be carried into the next generation as they are intimately associated with heritable qualities. The visibility of action argued for in Gamble, and Mithen and Kohn's work, is perfectly compatible with a commodities market Social Brain interpretation of hominin society as postulated by Louise Barrett and her colleagues. There are a number of behavioural traits that the author have not dealt with, such as the evidence for hunting and subsistence behaviours, and raw material/artefact transport behaviour, preferring to restrict discussion to the question of how society was constructed.