Palaeolithic society and the release from proximity: a network approach to intimate relations

The reconstruction of Palaeolithic society has never been easy with the evidence available. It is argued that rather than the evidence being at fault what is needed is a new methodology. The lead is taken from recent studies of primate societies and social theory which investigates the micro and macro scales of human agency. Palaeolithic society is based here on the individual rather than the group. The creation of social life through interaction in co-presence and in absentia is discussed. Three networks - intimate, effective and extended - are derived from the emotional, material and symbolic resources available to individuals to produce their social lives. These networks are shown to have consistent demographic sizes based on rules which result from the social use of those resources. A framework is then proposed for the study of Palaeolithic data which recognizes the macro and micro scales of social life. Locales and regions are linked by Leroi-Gourhan's concept of gesture and action, here described as rhythms contained in movement along tracks, and through the chaîne opératoire. The implications for social evolution in the Palaeolithic are briefly discussed