IE 116 1st Edition Lecture 4Outline of Last Lecture Hunter-Gatherer communities had- Generally abundant food source- Spent less time and energy gathering than agriculturists.- And they possessed detailed knowledge of plants, environmental management, and plant chemistry.o It’s not that they were unintelligent; they just didn’t see a reason to grow their food.Outline of Current Lecture I. Origin and Spread of AgricultureA. 8 Theories for how agriculture started.B. 3 theories on why Agriculture spreadCurrent LectureA. 8 theories of Agriculture OriginsTheory 1 = Agriculture as discovery (Darwin, Sauer)- Some “wise old savage” discovered useful plants on dump heap or in nature, and discovered you could plant, cultivate, and harvest.- Assumes that Ag is superior and took only insight to develop.Theory 2 = Ag from crowding (Childe, 1952)- This “Propinquity” theory claims that through proximity of each other and food stress, humans domesticated plants and animals. - The “Neolithic revolution” creates social organization and tools.- Also assumes that ag is superior than gathering, at least in crowded areas.- Demographic stress modelTheory 3 = (co)Evolution (Rindos)- H-G’s gradually changed plants through selecting and tending the most desirable.- A “Domestication Syndrome”- Ag is not a discovery, but a gradual change from H-G to sedentism to Ag.Theory 4 = Ag as an extension of gathering (Binford-Flannery, 1968)- Ag developed at the edges of permanent settlements, ex. Fishing Villages.- Ag becomes Profitable when ability/reward is diminished for certain populations within a system.- Another stress modelTheory 5 = Need for alcohol (McGovern 2010-13)- Motivation for the development of Agriculture was to make alcoholic beverages. Theory 6 = Domestication for Religious Reasons (Hahn, 1896)- Cattle, chickens, or plants were domesticated for religious purposes (Sacrifice, etc)- Again, it assumes that agriculture is superior than gathering sacrificial animals and plants.Theory 7 = No Theory, Theory (Harlan, 1972)- Ag developed for multiple different reasons by multiple mechanisms in different parts of the world.- Doesn’t answer anything, but is probably the most right.Theory 8 = Chance, along with food stress (Diamond, 1999)- At the end of last ice age (~13,000 years ago) improvements in hunting technologies resulted in a decline in large game.- Chance plays a huge role in who “wins” and who “loses”B. 3 theories on why Agriculture spreadTheory 1 = Demographics o Population increased, the need for food grew, and agriculture became more profitable.o Good buffer for environmental fluctuations.Theory 2 = Disease and resistanceo Many “diseases of crowding” originated in domesticated and transferred to humans.o Agriculturists evolved a resistance, but H-G, when exposed, has no resistance.o H-G died off, Ag spread and continued.Theory 3 = Cultural and Technological Developmentso Divisions of labor: Tools vs food productiono Time to experiment with ceramics and metal.o Political or religious hierarchyo Standing armies.Summary
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