The Broad Spectrum Revolution and Domestication

Archeology Anth 1030

Economic change happened during the

late Pleistocene & early Holocene

Neolithic Economies had

Agricultural diets

Mesolithic Economies had

Hunter-gatherer diets

Paleolithic Economies had

large animal taxa; hunter-gatherer diets

Mesolithic

around 15-8 kya

Mesolithic AKA

Epipalaeolithic

Mano & Metate

grinding tool (hand stone and slab)

Ancient huts tell us

people were settling (usually for seasons)

Examples like ancient jewelry indicate

signaling of social cues and material culture

Ohalo II, Sea of Galilee 19,000 BP

brush huts and hearths were found

Neolithic

The Natufiah

In the Neolithic period, favorable climate resulted in

population growth

Gobekli Tepe - Turkey 11600 years old

first monumental architecture 

Pillars with carved motifs suggest

craft specialization

Star Carr site

Mesolithic England 8700 BP

Stonehenge was likely

a solar calendar, because it aligns with solstices

Domestication

new species due to human intervention

Domestication occurred worldwide after

the last ice age (around 10,000 years ago)

Larger seeds =

more food per plant

Thinner seed coats =

easier to process

Tougher Rachi/ Stem =

seeds do not self disperse

How to identify plant domesticates

by the toughness of the Rachis (domesticated is sturdy)

Agriculture has a downside, it’s 

increased productivity but decreasing efficiency

Example of Hunter-Gatherer urban structure

Tower of Jericho

Push Model (costs)

Pull Model (Benefits)

Agriculture

system of food production involving the cultivation of domesticated crops

Agricultures new strategy requires

more intense labor per unit energy extracted