Early Food Producers Flashcards
the Holocene period marks the beginning of what?
intensification of complexity in hunter gatherers
**approx 12,000ya
describe what intensification of complexity meant for hunter gatherers
-the megafauna extinction meant they had to adapt to a new diet, they also experienced food shortages at times
-shifted to a more sedentary lifestyle
-greater reliance on plants and smaller animals **this was not seen prior to the Holocene
-Simple social ranking
-trade
-agriculture- broad spectrum collecting (forced adaptation)
Archaic agriculture was seen where?
the Americas
Other areas shifted towards agriculture during what time periods?
Mesolithic and Epipaleolithic
define carrying capacity
the ability of an environment to sustain a density of population per sq. km
what was the approximate carrying capacity of the world in 10,000BC?
8.5m people
describe the mesolithic
late hunter gatherer/forager groups of the old world
describe the epipaleolithic
hunter gatherers living in the middle east between 23,000 and 9,600cal BC
how did tools change during the beginning stages of agriculture?
-became composite &specialized
-showed archaeological “cultures”
-technological culture- bows/arrow
-microliths
what did the development of the arrowhead mean for humans?
-more portability
-they could hunt alone or in small groups
-more efficient than atlatls (which required multiple people to take down an animal & it was more dangerous)
-quick reload
-greater accuracy
define intensive exploitation
harvesting great quantities of food in small slots of time
**ex/ shell middens
what enabled domestication to occur?
believed to be intensive exploitation although there is no single hypothesis for how it actually started
define agriculture
the cultivation of plants, raising, herding and processing animals for food
define domestication
human control of plant and animal reproduction
when did domestication replace foraging?
during the Neolithic period- 12,000ya
what affects did domestication have on humans?
-altered social organization
-altered relationships & behaviour through establishing hierarchies
what did domestication mean for natural reproduction of plants and animals?
they were either eliminated all together or manipulated intensely
name the 3 past theories of domestication
-Oasis
-Readiness
-Population pressure
define the Oasis Theory
**developed by V. Gordon Childe
- believed people observed plants and animals close to bodies of water and formed ideas about domestication, specifically in the middle east
-also stated the transition from agriculture was sudden– Neolithic Revolution
define the Readiness Theory
**developed by Robert Braidwood
-believed domestication was a long, gradual process beginning in the Fertile Crescent/Mid. East.
-people had knowledge of plants, animals and technology
define the Population Pressure Theory
**developed by Lewis Binford
- believed population growth was main drive for domestication
-where the environment was more favorable, people would migrate
-influenced by economists
what are the 3 current domestication theories?
-Younger Dryas
-Human Behavior Ecology
-Niche Construction Theory
what do the current theories on domestication believe?
environmental changes were the main reason for domestication
define the Younger Dryas Theory
stated the return of glacial conditions (11,000-9,700BC) forced people to adapt to survive
define the HBE theory
domestication was developed so people could share resources and participate in feasts
-this established social expectations and led to less return than processing larger crops
define the Niche Construction Theory
**developed by Bruce Smith
-stated humans can manipulate their environments to increase productivity (ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING)
-done in favorable conditions when food supply is secured
**can handle losses
define social complexity
societies which are no longer egalitarian
-relationships based on kin
-bureaucrats
Sedentism and food production are sometimes linked to what?
food surpluses
political complexity is linked to what?
social inequality and systems of control
food production is linked to what?
social and political complexity
what are the benefits of food production?
-increases carrying capacity
-controlled food supply
-can be practiced in many areas through manipulation of the environment
what are consequences of food production?
-increased sedentism
-population increase
-stresses on health
-increased malnutrition
-increased epidemic disease
-environmental alteration
-diminished biodiversity
-new social & economic relations
-material emphasis on religion
-cultural competition
