Abstract
Elsewhere, one of us recently argued for the need to develop a wide range of modeling approaches in the social sciences (van der Leeuw, 2005), including archaeology and anthropology. This call reflects a growing interest, on the part of archaeologists and anthropologists, in constructing and using dynamic models, and a growing interest on the part of modelers in the domains these social sciences cover (e.g., Gilbert, 1991; van der Leeuw & McGlade, 1997; Ballot & Weisbuch, 2000; Janssen & Jager, 2000; Kohler & Gumerman, 2000; Janssen, 2002; Anderies, 2006; Kohler & van der Leeuw, 2007; etc.). In this paper, we will attempt to model a specific phenomenon that has occurred, and occurs, in all societies: the creation of novelty (combining invention and innovation).