Does Low Spoilage Under Cold Conditions Foster Cultural Complexity During the Foraging Era? -- A Theoretical and Computational Inquiry

TL;DR

This paper explores how ecological factors like low spoilage in cold climates may have indirectly promoted cultural complexity among early humans, using theoretical models and reinforcement learning simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a mathematical framework linking spoilage, resource yields, and cultural activities, validated by reinforcement learning simulations showing lower spoilage fosters cultural development.

Findings

Lower spoilage reduces hunting frequency

Stable ecological conditions correlate with increased cultural complexity

Reinforcement learning results support theoretical predictions

Abstract

Human cultural complexity did not arise in a vacuum. Scholars in the humanities and social sciences have long debated how ecological factors, such as climate and resource availability, enabled early hunter-gatherers to allocate time and energy beyond basic subsistence tasks. This paper presents a formal, interdisciplinary approach that integrates theoretical modeling with computational methods to examine whether conditions that allow lower spoilage of stored food, often associated with colder climates and abundant large fauna, could indirectly foster the emergence of cultural complexity. Our contribution is twofold. First, we propose a mathematical framework that relates spoilage rates, yield levels, resource management skills, and cultural activities. Under this framework, we prove that lower spoilage and adequate yields reduce the frequency of hunting, thus freeing substantial time for cultural pursuits. Second, we implement a reinforcement learning simulation, inspired by engineering optimization techniques, to validate the theoretical predictions. By training agents in different $(Y,p)$ environments, where $Y$ is yield and $p$ is the probability of daily spoilage, we observe patterns consistent with the theoretical model: stable conditions with lower spoilage strongly correlate with increased cultural complexity. While we do not claim to replicate prehistoric social realities directly, our results suggest that ecologically stable niches provided a milieu in which cultural forms could germinate and evolve. This study, therefore, offers an integrative perspective that unites humanistic inquiries into the origins of culture with the formal rigor and exploratory power of computational modeling.