DM

Transition to Agriculture and Sedentism

Sedentism without Domestication: Intensification

  • Definition: The process of settling in one place without the necessity of agriculture, leading to a more intensive exploitation of wild resources.

  • Key Aspects:

    • Exploitation of a Wider Range of Wild Foods: This involved the gathering of various wild food sources beyond the previously used ones.

    • Growing Populations: Increased food availability due to intensification allowed for larger human populations.

    • Pottery: An advancement associated with sedentism, aiding in food storage and preparation.

Example Cultures

  • Natufian

    • Location: Middle East

    • Date: 15,000 to 11,500 years before present (y bp)

  • Jomon

    • Location: Japan

    • Date: 12,000 to 2,300 y bp

  • Okanagan

    • Location: Northwest Coast of the United States/Canada

    • Date: 3,000 y bp to present

Cultural Perspectives on Sedentism

  • Quote: "Why should we plant? When there are so many mongongo nuts in the world?"

    • Context: Expresses a hunter's perspective in Southern Africa, reflecting the abundance of natural resources available without agriculture.

Factors Contributing to the Transition to Agriculture

  • Key Contributing Factors:

    1. Climate Change: Alterations in climate made new areas viable for agriculture.

    2. Cultural Pre-adaptations: Societies had already made small shifts toward sedentism and food storage.

    3. Intensification of Foraging: Focused on sourcing more food from smaller areas, thus increasing yields from the land.

    4. Population Growth: A larger population created the need for more reliable food sources.

    5. Coexistence with Potential Domesticates: Living alongside species that could be domesticated facilitated the shift.

    6. Exchanges of Techniques and Goods: Sharing of agricultural methods and resources reinforced the transition.

  • Term: "The trap of sedentism".

    • Meaning: Refers to the challenges and limitations encountered after switching from a nomadic lifestyle to a sedentary one, particularly the social and environmental pressures it creates, leading to the need for agriculture.

Analysis of the Transition to Agriculture (Unit 2, Module 5)

Learning Goals

  • Aim: Analyze the transition to agriculture by:

    1. Recognizing and weighing causes.

    2. Explaining effects of the transition.

    3. Evaluating the transition using historical thinking methods.

Timing and Geological Context

  • Neolithic Time Period: Began approximately 11,000 years ago, marking a significant shift after the last Ice Age.

  • Geological Time Epoch:

    • Pleistocene Epoch: 2.6 million years ago to 11,500 y bp - characterized by Ice Ages.

    • Holocene Epoch: 11,500 y bp to present - the current interglacial period.

  • Archaeological Eras:

    • Paleolithic Era: Before 11,500 y bp, referred to as the 'Old Stone Age'.

    • Neolithic Era: From 11,500 to 5,500 y bp, called the 'New Stone Age'.

    • Bronze Age: From approximately 5,500 y bp or 3,500 BCE in the Near East.

From Foraging to Farming and Herding

  • Transition Descriptors:

    • Origin of Agriculture: Refers to the initial adoption of farming practices.

    • Transition to Agriculture: A broader term encompassing the shift in food production methods.

    • Agricultural Revolution: A significant transformation in human lifestyle and diet during the Neolithic era.

    • Neolithic Revolution: Specifically refers to the change in agricultural practices and technologies.

  • Food Acquisition Methods:

    • Foraging: Hunting and gathering wild food.

    • Sedentism: Settled life in one place.

    • Agriculture: Farming using domesticated plants and animals.

    • Pastoralism: Herding and animal husbandry practices.

Domestication of Species

  • Definition: The process of adopting other species for human use by controlling their life cycles and reproduction.

  • Techniques:

    • Artificial Selection: A method for selecting traits that benefits human agriculture.

    • Comparison: "Mirror image of natural selection" - illustrates how humans can direct the evolution of species by choosing desired traits.

  • Reciprocal Relationship:

    • Description: The domestication process is mutually beneficial, where domesticated species like wheat, cattle, and sheep have altered human lifestyles, just as humans have influenced these species.

Neolithic Tools and Technologies

  • Sickle

    • Description: A tool used to gather grains, specifically designed for harvesting grasses.

    • Material: Stone sickles were common during the Neolithic era.

Early Domesticates

  • Dog: Believed to be domesticated around 10,000 years ago, before the advent of agriculture.

  • Goats and Sheep: Domesticated approximately 8,000 years ago.

Effects of the Transition to Agriculture & Evaluation

Case Studies of Early Communities

  1. Tell Abu Hureya

    • Timeline: 13,000 - 9,000 y bp

    • Location: Euphrates Valley, near Raqqa, Syria

    • Living Conditions: Residents lived in epipaleolithic pit houses made from grass and straw.

    • Health Indicators: Observations of skeletal remains indicate health issues, such as fused toe bones, attributed to lifestyle changes.

  2. Catalhüyük

    • Timeline: 9,250 - 7,400 y bp

      • Maps of Time: Flourished from 6,250 to 5,400 BCE

    • Location: Near Konya, Turkey

    • Architecture: Residents inhabited cube-shaped dwellings that were only accessible via roofs.

    • Cultural Aspects: Featured ritual and religious imagery, such as depictions of male deer, indicative of their hunting practices and early agricultural activities.