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Related Experiment Video

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Eusociality in history.

Laura Betzig1

  • 1, , lbetzig@gmail.com.

Human Nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)
|January 10, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Human reproductive variance increased with farming and civilizations, with rulers having many partners. This trend reversed recently, with egalitarianism arising as habitats opened.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Anthropology
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Human history spans over 100,000 years of foraging in small groups with low reproductive variance.
  • The advent of agriculture around 10,000 years ago marked a significant shift in human social structures and reproduction.

Observation:

  • Early civilizations in river valleys concentrated power and resources, leading to increased reproductive variance.
  • Rulers in ancient civilizations amassed large harems, supported by eunuchs, concentrating reproduction among a few males.
  • This pattern of high reproductive variance persisted for millennia.

Findings:

  • A reversal of this trend occurred in recent centuries, with the end of obligate sterility and a decline in reproductive variance.
  • Eusociality in humans, like other species, appears to be influenced by ecological constraints and resource availability.

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  • The rise of egalitarianism correlates with the opening of previously constrained habitats.

    • Implications:

    • Understanding historical reproductive patterns provides insights into human social evolution and the impact of ecological factors.
    • The shift towards lower reproductive variance may have long-term consequences for human population dynamics and social structures.
    • This historical perspective informs theories on the development of cooperation and social organization in human societies.