Artiklen undersøger ægteskabets oprindelse i menneskelige samfund ved hjælp af komparative fylogenetiske analyser baseret på data fra moderne jæger-samler-samfund. Resultaterne antyder, at arrangerede ægteskaber kan spores tilbage til de tidligste menneskelige migrationer fra Afrika. Ægteskaber i tidlige samfund havde sandsynligvis lav grad af polygyni og høj grad af gensidige bytteaftaler mellem familier.
Titel på undersøgelse:
Evolutionary History of Hunter-Gatherer Marriage Practices.
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Hele abstrakt på originalsprog:
Marriage’s universal presence across human societies hints at a deep evolutionary root in institutionalized pair-bonding, likely dating to early modern humans, though its practices differ widely—from rigid, arranged unions with brideservice or brideprice in some cultures to unregulated courtship or polyandrous and polygynous forms in others—leaving its ancestral form unclear due to scant archaeological evidence. Using comparative phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA from contemporary hunter-gatherers, this study reconstructs ancestral marriage traits, suggesting arranged marriages emerged with early human migrations out of Africa, though uncertainty persists as some African hunter-gatherers practice courtship unions. Results indicate early human marriages featured low polygyny and reciprocal family exchanges (brideservice or brideprice), pointing to a long history of regulated mate and resource sharing that bolstered complex social structures, fostering coalitions and alliances across communities.