Practice question · Multiple choice
A technique appears in two regions within fifty years of each other. What must be established before calling it diffusion?
Hints
- Two places solve the same problem the same way. Ask what else would explain that.
- Diffusion is a claim about a path. What does the path require?
Show the answer
D. A plausible route of contact and a direction
Why
Similarity alone is symmetric and independent invention is common, so the argument needs a contact mechanism and a direction of travel. Demanding written testimony would rule out most of the prehistoric record; demanding identity ignores that adopted techniques are always adapted.
Practise Cultural Geography and Diffusion
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More questions on Cultural Geography and Diffusion
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