Domestication: Part 1

What are the origins of food production?

shift from hunter-gatherer lifestyle, followed by domestication of plants and animals

What is domestication?

cultivation of plants and animals over time

How do things get domesticated?

selective breeding for desired traits

What changes can domestication cause?

genetic and behavioral changes

What are the advantages of agriculture?

food security, economic growth, and employment

What are the disadvantages of agriculture?

habitat loss, resource loss

In animals, smaller stature and gentle temperament are direct causes of

animal domestication

In plants, larger seeds, non-shattering heads, and synchronous heads are directs causes of

plant domestication

How can we gather data on domestication?

comparing wild an domesticated animal remains, settlement patterns, and radio-carbon dating

What is archaeozoology?

study of animal remains from arch sites focusing on animal-human interaction

How does archaeozoology find differences in domesticated herds?

Comparisons of animals that lived at sites vs the wild

Examples of differences in wild vs domesticated herds remains

mortality, size of body and parts, skeletal morphology, diet analysis, tool marks from butchering

What is archaeobotany?

study of plant remains, focusing on human-plant interaction

What is rachis?

main stem of spike

What are glumes?

protective outer layer of spikelet

What happens to rachis during domestication?

becomes less prone to shattering

What happens to glumes during domestication?

become thinner and easier to thrash

What is a tell?

a visible trait or characteristic that indicates a species has undergone domestication and is no longer wild

When, where, and what was the first animal domesticate?

15,000 YA in the Fertile Crescent (Middle East) dogs were domesticated

When, where, and what was the first plant domesticate?

10,000 YA in Mesopotamia wheat was domesticated

Where is the Fertile Crescent?

the Middle East, encompassing modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, and parts of Turkey, Iran, and Egypt