Written data used by demographers essentially covers the last five centuries. To tackle earlier demographic issues, we need to draw on sources and techniques other than those commonly used by demographers. This means using information from archeology, physical anthropology, paleontology, primatology, and genetics, along with relevant models of interpretation. This book has been developed from a core of papers selected for the paleodemographic session of the 25th World Population Congress held in July 2005. It covers recent paleodemographic innovations in data, techniques, and the detection of patterns that make it possible to examine previously unknown prehistoric demographic processes. The book is fascinating reading for physical anthropologists, archeologists, bioarcheologists, demographers, and historical demographers.

Covers recent paleodemographic innovations, in terms of data, techniques and the detection of patterns

Inhalt
From Genes to Numbers: Effective Population Sizes in Human Evolution.- Assessment of Land Surveys in Greece: Contributions and Limitations.- Estimation of An Age Distribution With Its Confidence Intervals Using An Iterative Bayesian Procedure and A Bootstrap Sampling Approach.- Model Life Tables for Pre-Industrial Populations: First Application in Palaeodemography.- The Halley Band for Paleodemographic Mortality Analysis.- Modeling Paleolithic Predator-Prey Dynamics and the Effects of Hunting Pressure on Prey 'Choice'.- The Demography of Prehistoric Fishing/Hunting People: A Case Study of the Upper Columbia Area.- The Paleodemography of Central Portugal and the Mesolithic-Neolithic Transition.- The Libben Site: a Hunting, Fishing, and Gathering Village from the Eastern Late Woodlands of North America. Analysis and Implications for Palaeodemography and Human Origins.- Demographic and Health Changes During the Transition to Agriculture in North America.