The Origins of Agriculture Flashcards
Describe the holocene epoch (following the Pleistocene).
Most important geological stage;
began roughly 11000ya;
characterized by the switch to agricultural life, expanding resources, and sedentary lifestyle;
warming, sea levels rising, ice melting
Define independent centres of domestication.
Worldwide, independent transitions to agricultural way of life
What is the Neolithic Revolution?
Defined by V. Gordon Childe;’ “New Stone Age”; transition of hunting and gathering to agriculture
Synonym for Holocene
The transition to agricultural way of life was ________ with a ______ impact.
gradual; dramatic
Describe the three explanations for the origin of food production.
(1) Oasis Theory: Childe’s Theory of Drastic Climate Change
- drought and climate change restricted land beings to small oasises giving opportunity to domesticate.
(2) Marginal Zones Theory
- overpopulation in the optimal zones, forcing expansion to marginal zones and the consequential need to make lifestyle changes to survive
(3) MISSED
- population growth over consumed resources and farming attempted to recreate grasslands that were lost
What are microbotanicals and what purpose do they serve in archaeology?
Pollen & Phytoliths (microscopic, inorganic silica particles produced by plants)
Are taxonomically unique and therefore vary between species
When preserved in the soil or on technology can identify what plants and which parts were used
How do we know that humans migrated with their crops/animals and farmed them outside of the specie’s native region?
Plant and animal remains appear abruptly in the archaeological record at sites located in territories where the plant/animal species represented are not known to have grown/lived there.
What are four pieces of evidence for domestication?
(1) Mean seed size increased over time for more quantiful and efficient food production
(2) Seed morphology: seeds firmly attached to rachis and seed coat is thinner
(3) Osteological changes: penned animals have lighter constructed bones and tend to be smaller and easier to handle
(4) Animal population characteristics: overabundance of subadult males eaten (bones)
What was the very first animal to be domesticated?
Canine; between 20 000-40 000 ya
True or false? It is most likely that there were two independent domestications of the dog. One in Europe and one in Asia.
True; one branch died out
What are some of the characteristics of dogs that developed over time?
reduction of teeth and jaws; docile temperament
What is the significance of the Natufian burial site in Ain Mallaha, Israel?
12000yo burial of woman with a puppy that demonstrates the close relationship between the species
When and where were cats most likely first domesticated? From what species?
near East 10 000ya; wild African cat
True or false? The wild African cat was domesticated before Ancient Egyptian domestication?
True
The gradual transition to an agricultural way of life began in the _____ ______: a crescent shaped region extending from Eastern Mediterranean coast of modern Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, north into the Zagros Moutains and the South towards the Persian Gulf in Iran and Irag.
Fertile crescent
