Mapping the field of cultural evolutionary theory and methods in archaeology using bibliometric methods

Abstract Bibliometrics offers powerful means of visualising and understanding trends within research domains. We here present a first exploratory bibliometric analysis cultural evolutionary theory attendant methods as applied specifically archaeology across the last four decades (1981–2021). Bibliographic coupling network shows that there exists broadly successive series author clusters making up core this domain. A broader vernacular version evolution is also commonly used in thematic or regional traditions fall outside studies strict sense. Our networks trace development over while they demonstrate centrality computational models, suggest stagnation application precisely suite methods—phylogenetics—that central to archaeology’s biological counterpart palaeontology. Recent methodological innovations palaeobiology are, however, offering new ways integrating artefact shape data directly with phylogenetic applications. This may usher renaissance phylogenetics appropriately marco-scale applications archaeology.