Flashcards on Domestication and Agriculture

This flashcard set covers key concepts from a lecture on the domestication of plants and animals, agricultural development, and related anthropological theories.

BP

Before Present, a time scale used in archaeology and geology.

BC/BCE

Before Christ/Before the Common Era, a calendar notation for events that occurred before year 1.

AD/CE

Anno Domini/Common Era, a calendar notation for events occurring in the years following year 1.

Holocene

The current geological epoch, starting approximately 11,700 years ago, marked by significant climatic changes.

Neolithic Revolution

A transformational period from hunting-gathering to agricultural societies, pivotal for human development.

Domestication

The process of adapting wild plants and animals for human use and cultivation.

V. Gordon Childe

An archaeologist known for popularizing the concept of the Neolithic Revolution in his book 'Man Makes Himself'.

Nikolai Vavilov

A Soviet botanist who studied the distribution of genetic diversity of plants, identifying centers of domestication.

Mesolithic

The middle part of the Stone Age, following the Paleolithic and before the Neolithic.

Agriculture

The practice of cultivating soil, growing crops, and raising livestock for human use.

Paleoethnobotany

The study of the interactions between people and plants in ancient societies, often through plant remains.

Zooarchaeology

The study of animal remains from archaeological sites, key for understanding domestication.

Carbonized remains

Plant remains that have been preserved through carbonization, often providing insight into ancient diets.

Microbotanical remains

Plant remains that can be studied under a microscope, including pollen and starch grains.

Domesticated animals

Species that have been trained or bred by humans to adapt to living alongside people.

Archaeobotanists

Scientists who study ancient plant remains to understand past human-plant interactions.

Genetic drift

The change in the frequency of a gene variant in a population due to random sampling.

Artificial ecosystem

An ecosystem created intentionally by humans, such as agricultural lands.

Cultivation

The process of preparing land for growing crops, including sowing and harvesting.

Pastoralism

A form of agriculture focused on the raising of livestock.

Herding

The practice of breeding and managing domestic animals.

Sedentism

The practice of living in one place for a long time, often associated with agriculture.

Demographic changes

Variations in the size and structure of populations over time.

Soil conservation

Methods to prevent soil erosion and maintain soil health.

Plant manipulation

Altering wild plants to make them more suitable for human use.

Animal husbandry

The science of breeding and caring for livestock.

Genotype

The genetic constitution of an individual organism.

Phenotype

The observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism.

High resource diversity

A variety of resources available in an environment, facilitating domestication.

Social competition

A driving force in human societies that can influence agricultural practices.

Nutritional dependence

Reliance on domesticated species for dietary needs.

Terraced agriculture

An ancient farming system used to cultivate crops on steep terrain.

Cereal grains

Grass crops cultivated for food, such as wheat, rice, and corn.

Storage technology

Methods or tools used to preserve and store food supplies.

Flotation technique

A method of processing soil samples to recover plant and small animal remains.

Morphological changes

Alterations in the form or structure of plants and animals due to domestication.

Neolithic lifestyle

A way of living characterized by settled agricultural practices and community organization.

Hunting-gathering

The lifestyle of societies that rely on wild resources for food.

Environmental changes

Shifts in climate or habitat impacting human activity and development.

Diversity of crops

The variety of crop species grown, influencing agricultural resilience.

Exploitation of resources

Using natural resources to fulfill human needs.

Food surpluses

Excess food production allowing for the development of social structures beyond daily sustenance.

Human selection

The intentional breeding of plants and animals based on desirable traits.

Co-evolution

The process by which two or more species influence each other's evolution.

Adaptive traits

Characteristics that enhance survival and reproduction in specific environments.