Time-Delayed Theory of the Neolithic Transition in Europe

The classical wave-of-advance model of the neolithic transition (i.e., the shift from hunter-gatherer toagricultural economies) is based on Fisher’s reaction-diffusion equation. Here we present an extensionof Einstein’s approach to Fickian diffusion, incorporating reaction terms. On this basis we show thatsecond-order terms in the reaction-diffusion equation, which have been neglected up to now, are notin fact negligible but can lead to important corrections. The resulting time-delayed model agrees quitewell with observations. [S0031-9007(98)08286-6]

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