Abstract:
This paper analyzes the structure of virtual kinship networks formed by an
agent-based model that was originally designed to explore the relationships
among kin networks, residence rules, settlement size, and the movement of exchange
goods.Following simple rules, agents in the model are born, die, find
mates, establish post-marital residence. Agents then exchange goods (which are
conceptualized as pottery vessels) among close kin dispersed through a linear
system of villages. Each run of the model produces a network that unites most
agents, but each agent also has a personal network of close kin. Previous analysis
of model output has focused on variation in the number of virtual pottery
vessels obtained by agents, and on data averaged over large numbers of model
runs, with only minimal analysis of the networks produced. But variation
in network structure must underlie the variation in exchange success seen in
the model runs. This paper focuses on the virtual networks produced by the
model, including examining variation in measures of centrality and degree distribution,
as well as variation in path length from one end of the system to the
other. The data exploration reported here indicates that centrality is important,
but centrality alone is not a good predictor of success in exchange. Agents who
obtain large numbers of vessels typically are connected to producers directly
or through one or two intermediate links, and also tend to have relatively high
centrality in the network.