After the Ice: The Food Producing Revolution

Question 1

What does the Paleo Diet recommend?

Answer 1

Lots of meat, supplemented with fruits, vegetables, and nuts. No grains.

Question 2

What is important to keep in mind about Paleolithic diets?

Answer 2

1. Regional variability (diversity)
2. Seasonal variability
3. High mobility
4. Small food packs
5. Tough, woody, fibrous foods
6. Lean organs and marrow of animals
7. Fresh, whole, foods

Question 3

When is the beginning of the Mesolithic?

Answer 3

10 000 BP, in the Holocene

Question 4

What is the Mesolithic?

Answer 4

The cultural stage that follows the paleolithic period, also known as Archaic culture. Known for diversity of food, and definite local adaptations to environment. The people are still foragers, the earth is warmer.

Question 5

What is the Neolithic?

Answer 5

A time period when many populations were settled in permanent communities and there is evidence of dependence on domesticated animals and plants.

Question 6

What is the Neolithic Revolution?

Answer 6

The transition from hunting and gathering to a farm based economy.

Question 7

When was the Natufian Culture of the Near East?

Answer 7

Pre-agricultural developments, 14 000-9 8000 BP. Shift to complex foraging (certain foods of more interest, seeing ways of storing food), larger sedentary populations. Evidence includes grinding stones, food storage puts, polished stone blades. Located in the Levant (along Mediterranean), use of wild wheat and barley - storage.

Question 8

What is the Maglemosian Culture of Northern Europe?

Answer 8

11 000-7 000 BP, sedentary populations that used microblades (fishhooks, bark-lined fish nets), boggy area preserved artifacts well.

Question 9

Why did the Domestication of Animals and Plants start?

Answer 9

Because of sedentary populations, convenience (easier to acquire food), larger populations.

Question 10

What is the Oasis Hypothesis?

Answer 10

A change in climatic conditions resulted in drier regions with limited water resources that were utilized by both humans and animals; this explanation of the origins of agriculture isn’t seen across the world.

Question 11

What is the Readiness Hypothesis?

Answer 11

Origin of agriculture hypothesis; people lived where wild plants and animals that could be domesticated were found.

Question 12

What is the Dump Heap Hypothesis?

Answer 12

Origin of agriculture hypothesis; plant materials that were brought back and eaten and disposed of later germinated around human dwellings.

Question 13

What is the Demographic Hypothesis?

Answer 13

Origin of agriculture hypothesis; agriculture became necessary because of an increase in the population.

Question 14

How can you recognize domesticated plants?

Answer 14

1. Seeds became larger
2. Seed coat thickness becomes thinner
3. Seed dispersal mechanisms - a stronger stalk (rachis) to take off all the seeds at once
4. Geographic distribution

Question 15

What is Horticulture?

Answer 15

Growing crops with simple tools and methods; shifting cultivation, the land is worked for short periods and then left idle for a number of years.

Question 16

What is Intensive Agriculture?

Answer 16

Techniques are used to cultivate the fields permanently, recognizing the fact that fertilizers and other methods of keeping the soil healthy are needed.

Question 17

How can you recognize domesticated animals?

Answer 17

1. Geographic distribution
2. Population characteristics
3. Osteological changes - less dense, atrophy

Question 18

What is known about Dog Domestication?

Answer 18

Complete mitochondrial genomes suggest a European origin (common ancestor), or a Eurasian theme. Oldest dog cranium was found in Siberia, 33 000 BP. Dogs were most likely domesticated at different times in different parts of the world. Paw prints were discovered in ancient Roman tiles at a 2000 yo UK site.

Question 19

Where are the earliest centres of plant domestication found?

Answer 19

In the Levent; Ali Kosh.

Question 20

What is special about the Ali Kosh site?

Answer 20

Evidence of early stages of domestication, domesticated barley. Flotation method utilized to recover thousands of seeds; used for a period of 2 years.

Question 21

What are two varieties of wheat?

Answer 21

Eikorn and emmer; the wild versions have brittle rachis while the domesticated are non-brittle.

Question 22

What is important about the Nanzhuangtous site in China?

Answer 22

Domesticated millet (grain); best grown in drier, high temperature location - fairly short growing season. Starch grains recovered from the stone tools that were excavated.

Question 23

What is known about Pig Domestication?

Answer 23

Dated to 10 000 BP, thought Europe and Asia independently domesticated pigs. 85% of the bones at one site were from pigs less than 2 yo, indicator of human involvement. Pink is an indicator of human involvement in pigs.

Question 24

What is known about Rice Domestication?

Answer 24

Originated in China about 9 000 BP; numerous sites in China are contenders for the oldest site. Rice grains get larger over time.

Question 25

What is important about Ngalue, Mozambique?

Answer 25

Africa, found evidence of sorghum on tools in a cave with controversial dates - older than the Neolithic. Plants may have been used for bedding. Many tropical foods do not have durable seeds or woody stems, making it hard for archaeologists.

Question 26

When did domestication start appearing in Europe?

Answer 26

8 000 BP in southern Europe but the domesticates that appeared were domesticated 1 000 years earlier in Southwest Asia; most likely diffusion.

Question 27

When was the Mesolithic in Britain?

Answer 27

8010-7910 BP; hunters and gatherers but mainland Europe was Neolithic (planting crops and wheat)

Question 28

What is important about Bouldnor Cave, Britain?

Answer 28

Wheat was found much earlier than it should exist, but it wasn’t planted. Suggestion of a connection between the people in Britain and Europe, but there was a 2000 year gap between domestication in Europe and and trade in Britain.

Question 29

When were Squash seeds found?

Answer 29

10 000 BP, Peruvian sites alongside peanuts and cotton.

Question 30

What is known about Maize Domestication?

Answer 30

Tehucan Valley, Mexico; cool, tropical highlands 5000 BP. Domesticated from a plant called teosinte.

Question 31

What is known about Chocolate Domestication?

Answer 31

Seeds from the cacao tree, independently domesticated in a few spots; Columbia, Olmec. Some civilizations would use it as currency.

Question 32

What is known about Llamas and Alpaca Domestication?

Answer 32

12 000 BP in the New World.

Question 33

What is known about Turkey Domestication?

Answer 33

Wild turkey is indigenous to parts of the US, Mexico, and Canada. Current evidence suggest that they were domesticated in Mexico around 1 700 BP.

Question 34

What is known about Sunflower Domestication?

Answer 34

Domesticated in a single event in North America.

Question 35

What was domesticated in North America that’s weird?

Answer 35

Sumpweed and pigweed.

Question 36

What are the advantages of food production?

Answer 36

1. Support for more people
2. Creation of surplus
3. Long term storage

Question 37

What are the disadvantages of food production?

Answer 37

1. Lack of diversity
2. Demand on environment
3. Conflict over land control
4. Health costs

Question 38

What came with the Neolithic Demographic Transition?

Answer 38

The population expanded massively from the point of the agricultural transition (10 000 BP), the end of the Paleolithic had a minimal population growth by the end of the Agricultural Revolution had a much greater growth.

Question 39

What can growth be linked to?

Answer 39

Children being weaned earlier and timing between births becoming shorter.

Question 40

What increases with population growth?

Answer 40

Adding sedentary lifestyle equals overcrowding and diseases; periosteal reaction, staph infection seen much more often after 10 000 BP.

Question 41

What are the diseases of the Neolithic?

Answer 41

Treponematoses (syphilis, yaws), tuberculosis, measles, mupns, cholera, flu, small pox.

Question 42

What is involved in the Health and Agricultural Revolution?

Answer 42

Tooth decay (domesticated plants are high in carbohydrates, lactic acid), nutrition (dietary variety critical for proper growth, nutritional deficiencies [detected by enamel hypoplasis], anemia)