Ch 16- Key Transitions in World Pre- History Flashcards
Evolutionary Paradigm
“Over time all species would be moving towards perfection”
- Traditional model of unilinear cultural evolution
- Progress was a march towards a 19th century, Western European view of ‘perfection’
Sir John Lubbock
- Modern ‘savages/primitives’ – indigenous peoples of Africa, Asia, Australia & Americas – considered living relics of prehistory
- Had not evolved sufficiently & doomed to extinction
Social Darwinism
“Cultural evolution became an extension of biological evolution”
- Ideological justification for much of 18th- 19th century European colonization, enslavement, eugenics, and even genocide
- Darwin himself never held the values that social Darwinism seems to
Frans Boas
- What did he stand for?
- Cultural evolution is tremendously complex – far too many variables
- Each culture is unique and should be understood by its own values and systems
• Idea became known as historical particularism
Frans Boas
- What did he stand against?
- Against the ethnocentric idea of progress as defined by the
European enlightenment - Rejected unilateral evolution & sweeping generalizations
Who was “The father of American anthropology”
Frans Boas
Long Term Evolution Before ~12,000 years ago - All peoples were? - Type of government? - How do they come into power?
People were
- Hunter-gatherers
- Larger, more sedentary, still some hunting and gathering
Government?
- Usually egalitarian, lack ascribed status
- Had appearance of tribes too
Power
- Can’t be born into power, but can gain power by doing important things
Long Term Evolution
~5,000 years ago
- How has agriculture changed?
- How do they come into power?
- Now with intensive agriculture
* Can be born into power based on your family
Kingdoms/ Civilizations
- Definition
“Generalized political system in complex societies characterized by having a monopoly on the power to coerce”
Kingdoms/ Civilizations
- Components
(type of government? religion? legal system? communication?)
Government?
- Strong, centralized government with professional bureaucratic ruling class
Religion?
- State religion
Legal System?
- Legal system gives power to wage war, draft soldiers, force labour, collect taxes, administer punishment
Communication?
- May have writing, calendar, monumental architecture
Why did we Domesticate Plants?
2 General ideas
- Unilineal Paradigm
2. Materialist Paradigm
- Unilineal Paradigm
- Childe’s Oasis Theory
(Definition and what it fails to explain)
“After the last ice age, in warmer & drier areas, people and animals flocked to oases for water and food”
But… Did not really explain why crop agriculture arose
- Unilineal Paradigm
- Braidwood’s Hilly Flanks Theory (Definition)
“Agriculture a logical outcome of evolutionary trajectory to specialize”
“Foragers gained knowledge needed to grow rather than just gather “
- Unilineal Paradigm
- Braidwood’s Hilly Flanks Theory (Problems with it)
• Switch to agriculture very slow in most places
• Many foragers knew about horticulture and had the necessary plants but chose not to pursue it
Why?
- Didn’t need it – no need to bother
- Materialist Paradigm
- Definition
“Slow population growth in areas with semi-sedentary foragers or mixed foraging & horticulture led to population pressure”
Binford’s density-equilibrium model
- Definition
“Agriculture happens when population size outstrips an environment’s carrying capacity”
Optimal Foraging Theory
- Definition
“People select foods that maximize the overall return rate”
Optimal Foraging Theory
- Return Rates (meat vs. seeds)
- Game has high return rates
- Wild seeds have low return rates
Why did we Domesticate plants?
“A Selectionist Perspective”
Human-plant coevolution
- Some plants became dependent upon humans for survival
- As the plant produces more, humans depend more on it
Eventually the return rate of planted plants exceeds that of wild plants
Why did it take so long to domesticate plants?
Suggested that the Pleistocene environment not suitable
- Colder and drier
- Less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
- Climate more unpredictable
Did we have a goal in mind when we domesticated plants?
“Niche construction theory”
Humans alter their environment through intentional efforts to achieve a goal – keen observers of our natural world
- Increase food productivity
Did we have a goal in mind when we domesticated plants?
“Prestige and Power”
Competitive feasts; ostentatious displays of wealth; exotic trade items including some foods
- Shows class and power
- Social reasons???
The Archaic Site Definition - Residential patterns? - Population size? - Diversity?
- Very strong, centralized government
- Highly stratified and internally diversified (occupational specialisation)
- Residential patterns based on occupation rather than blood or affinal (relatives by marriage) relationship
- Powerful economic system and market economy
- Populations in the tens to hundreds of thousands concentrated in cities
Why did The Archaic Site arise? In General (2)
- Materialist paradigm
- Irrigation, warfare, population growth, environment hypotheses - Postprocessual paradigm
- Ideology hypothesis
Why did The Archaic Site arise?
“Irrigation Hypothesis”
- Large irrigation systems require much organization amongst farmers
- Coordinated labour, massive construction, and political control led to increased wealth and military strength and eventually a ruling bureaucracy
Why did The Archaic Site arise?
“Warfare and Circumscription Hypothesis”
- States happen when coercive force involved
- Warfare is only mechanism powerful enough to impose bureaucratic authority on a large scale
- Only in areas where agricultural land is limited
- With population growth there is increased warfare
- “Keep people off of ‘your’ land”
- “Protect you from ‘invaders’”
- May need army to do so which is run by the state
Why did The Archaic Site arise?
“Multicausal Hypothesis”
- 3 General Conditions
- High population density that strains food production
- Need for system of integration
- Possibility of economic control
Why did The Archaic Site arise?
Role of Ideology
- Cultural, religious, or cosmological ideas that rationalize existence
- Develops as a means to validate new social organization
- Can mask the fact that one group is exploiting another
Problems as a result of population growth
- Drought
- Freshwater sources became filled with silt
- Extensive systems to collect water. i.e., catchment basins built
Problems as a result of population growth
- Lack of dietary diversity
- Commoner diet very high in maize – not nutritious on its own
Problems as a result of population growth
- Kings competed with one another
- Alternating warfare and alliance between centers
- By 1300 BP single rivalry between Tikal and Calakmul
• Tikal won - No single Maya centre was ever able to control the entire region nor did control last for more than a few generation
