ANTHROP 1AA3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Neolithic, Paleolithic, Neolithic Revolution
28 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
The origins of agriculture and the neolithic revolution. Studying the time(s) when people shifted from a dependency upon wild resources to the cultivation and herding of animals/plants. Agri [ager = latin for a field"] culture [cultura = latin for cultivation" as in the working of the soil] Earliest evidence: domesticated cereals c. 11 000 years ago. Domestication of maize, beans and squash c. 7000 years ago. Llama, alpaca, guinea pig, potato, and quinoa c. 7500-4500 bp. Origins of rice cultivation c. 10 000-8000 bp (middle yangtzi) Origins of millet cultivation c. 8500 bp (yellow river) Climate, ecology, population pressure, social competition, change in mentalite. Termed in 1920"s - after idea of industrial revolution. Change in means of production spurs socio-economic development. Revolutionary moment: from savage hunter" to civilized farmer". Part of evolutionary trajectory towards urban revolution. Control the means of production (from gathering to management) Larger social groups = potential for greater social complexity (> 200 people)
