How can a small population achieve the highest growth in ancient times?

[SpaceRome]

What variables affect population growth besides infant mortality and an average amount of children? how can a small, sedentary tribe or group develop a fast growth of numbers in the 2nd century, for example?

 

[Max Sinister]

Fertile land, no diseases hitting, no enemies, no other problems...

 

[cmakk1012]

Moving into a fertile area that has recently seen a huge population decrease could do it. Lots of farms ready to be worked, room for children to inherit land, possibly some remaining infrastructure.

 

[Kerney]

Fertile land, no diseases hitting, no enemies, no other problems...

The Americas had a founding population of less than 100. By 1500 there were 100 million. Closest RW example I can come up with.

 

[RousseauX]

What variables affect population growth besides infant mortality and an average amount of children? how can a small, sedentary tribe or group develop a fast growth of numbers in the 2nd century, for example?

available food supply, pre-modern societies tend to grow very fast until they hit carrying capacity of the land they live on

 

[RiseofBubblez]

The Americas had a founding population of less than 100. By 1500 there were 100 million. Closest RW example I can come up with.

Wait I thought the minimum for a population to maintain enough genetic diversity to survive was 1000. Also how do we know it was less than 100?

 

[Proto-Indo-European]

What others have said, plus agricultural innovation like acquiring a new crop or method of working the soil.

 

[Philip]

Also how do we know it was less than 100?

Start with the known* genetic diversity of their descendents. Using the known* rate of mutations you can estimate the number of contributors to that diversity at a given time.


* The values of these known rates are a matter of on-going investigation.

I thought the minimum for a population to maintain enough genetic diversity to survive was 1000.

In the 1960s, 25 raccoons escaped from a farm in near Berlin. Their descendents number in the 10s of thousands of not 100s of thousands. Invasive species, of which humans are the ur-example, can start from very small populations. However, the limited genetic diversity can have long term effects. There is some evidence that a lack of genetic diversity in native American immune systems contributed to their susceptibility to afroeurasian diseases.

 

[catalfalque]

Being open to newcomers - since that is what Genetic Diversity basically is, and also explains America

It COULD also explain Rome - a welcome to renegades, bandits, escaped criminals and so on