What Can Be Learned by Estimating Human Energy Costs
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7629092 |
|---|---|
| Authors | R D Drennan (0000-0001-6405-3476, University of Pittsburgh, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1994 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 209-212 |
| Publication date | 1994-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ancient Mesoamerica (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0956-5361 • E-ISSN: 1469-1787 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0956536100001152 |
| OpenAlex | W1970181929 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 5 |
Archaeologists have estimated the human energy costs of various undertakings. Confusion has arisen about the notion of energy “profits”–what must be included in their calculation and what we can learn from such calculations. When it comes to assessing the contribution to sociopolitical hierarchy building of energy profits derived from long-distance transport of food staples, it is the energy expended (both in transport and acquisition of the food staples) that matters. The source of the food that produces the human energy so expended is immaterial. What may be learned from such calculations is whether attempts to understand certain behaviors in terms of economic “rationality” succeed or not
Biology · Business · Confusion · Economics · Energy cost · Environmental economics · Food energy · Hierarchy · Market economy · Microeconomics · Natural resource economics · Political science · Rationality · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · Law · Mathematics · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Psychology
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,18 |
| Citation span | 1998 - 2009 (12) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |