Identifying post-marital residence patterns in prehistory: A phylogenetic comparative analysis of dwelling size

PLOS ONE • Vol/Iss. 15(2) • PLOS ONE • • Published In • Pages: 1-20 •
By Hrnčíř, Václav, Duda, Pavel, Šaffa, Gabriel, Květina, Petr, Zrzavý, Jan

Abstract

This study examines the association between post-marital residence patterns and dwelling size in pre-industrial societies using comparative methods and a global sample of 86 societies. The results suggest that matrilocality is associated with larger dwellings (over 65 square meters) in agricultural societies, while patrilocality is associated with smaller dwellings. The study also finds that sedentism is the single best predictor of house size. The study concludes that post-marital residence and house size evolve in a correlated fashion, which can help make reliable inferences about the social organization of prehistoric societies from archaeological records.
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: jacob.kalodner