age-area hypothesis

age-area hypothesis

      in anthropology, theory holding that the age of culture traits (elements of a culture) may be determined by examining their distribution over a large geographic area. The hypothesis states that widely distributed traits are older than those more narrowly distributed. It is based on the assumption that traits tend to diffuse outward in a circle from a single centre. Traits at the periphery are believed to have left the centre earlier than those closer to it and are therefore characteristic of an earlier period of the centre.

      There are several problems with this hypothesis. Diffusion may be more rapid in one direction than in another. Modification in traits may make it difficult to determine the point of origin. Population movements may also disturb the distribution of traits. Some elements (e.g., sociopolitical units) may be more subject to ecological adaptive pressure than others. In several cases in which historical data are available, the data contradict reconstructions based on the age-area hypothesis. At best, the hypothesis may be used in a delimited and historically unified area to determine the probability, rather than the certainty, of historic developments.

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