Early Views of H-G SocietyTough; always searching for next mealPeople in tribes were lazy and ignorantACTUALLY! They were very well fed, did not need to work very hard, sophisticated social structures and rituals, crazy low amount of diseaseVery healthyHad a good amount of leisure timeScientific InvestigationsArtifacts and human remains (archeology)Studies of current hunter-gatherers (cultural anthropology, ethnobotany, etc.…)Archaeological EvidenceScientists can get an idea of the diet and health of ancient civilizations through:Carbon Chemistry (approximate age)Skeletal Morphology (disease, diet)Pre-agricultural humansTaller (due to under-nutrition)Better teeth (sugars in plants caused cavities)Teeth crowding post-agricultureLower incidence of disease (shown by looking at bones)Phytolith (siliceous plant remains) findings are becoming more important in determining the diet of pre-agricultural /early agricultural societiesEvidence of burial rituals, art, complex society, long distance trade or movement of artifactsEvidence of technology: many tools developed to aid in hunting or other eventsAnthropological EvidenceCurrent hunter-gathers maintain populations at or below the carrying capacity of their environmentCarrying capacityMost “natural” populations will either limit their own reproduction to meet the availability of food or will be limited by mortalityFood scarcity not common (though could be induced by drought or other environmental patterns)Longer birth intervalEasier to manage one child at a time when nomadicDelayed marriageYoung girls are not needed to reproduce to provide extra hands to work the fieldsHigher mid-age mortality (but lower elderly and infant mortality)SUMMARY:Food was generally abundant, and H-G take less time and spend less energy gathering food than early agriculturalists.Possess(ed) detailed knowledge of plants, environmental management, plant chemistry.The reason these groups did not develop agriculture was not because they lacked intelligence or skill, but rather that they saw no need to.AGRI 116 1nd Edition Lecture 3 Outline of Last Lecture I. Plant Biology/Evolution/Diversitya. Photosynthesisb. MetabolismIII. Plant interactions with Animalsa. Pollinationb. Dispersalc. DefenseOutline of Current Lecture IV. Historical vs. Current Views of Hunter-Gatherer SocietiesV. Theories of How Agriculture StartedVI. Scientific Investigationsa. Archaeological Evidenceb. Anthropological EvidenceVII. SummaryCurrent LectureWhat (we think) we know- Humans have been on the planet for about 2 mil yearso Until recently, lived as hunter/gatherer- 500 years ago, Agricultural societies started independently in 5-7 isolated geographic locations around the globe.- Why the change? They can now stay put in one place.Origins of Agriculture: Crops- Different species of grasses (cereals) and legumes (beans) are domesticated by separate isolated cultures around the world.- Why cereals and beans? Because it was what finished off their dieto Chemistryo If you bring them together, they re nearly complete in their amino acid content Human body does not store excess amino acids- Fertile CrescentThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.o Neolithic founder crops (cereal grains)- Meso-Americao Maize and legumes Early Views of H-G Society - Tough; always searching for next meal- People in tribes were lazy and ignorant- ACTUALLY! They were very well fed, did not need to work very hard, sophisticated social structures and rituals, crazy low amount of disease - Very healthy- Had a good amount of leisure time Scientific Investigations- Artifacts and human remains (archeology)- Studies of current hunter-gatherers (cultural anthropology, ethnobotany, etc.…) Archaeological Evidence Scientists can get an idea of the diet and health of ancient civilizations through:- Carbon Chemistry (approximate age)- Skeletal Morphology (disease, diet)o Pre-agricultural humans Taller (due to under-nutrition) Better teeth (sugars in plants caused cavities) Teeth crowding post-agriculture Lower incidence of disease (shown by looking at bones)- Phytolith (siliceous plant remains) findings are becoming more important in determining the diet of pre-agricultural /early agricultural societies Evidence of burial rituals, art, complex society, long distance trade or movement of artifacts Evidence of technology: many tools developed to aid in hunting or other events Anthropological Evidence Current hunter-gathers maintain populations at or below the carrying capacity of their environment Carrying capacity- Most “natural” populations will either limit their own reproduction tomeet the availability of food or will be limited by mortality Food scarcity not common (though could be induced by drought or other environmental patterns)- Longer birth intervalo Easier to manage one child at a time when nomadic- Delayed marriageo Young girls are not needed to reproduce to provide extra hands to work the fields- Higher mid-age mortality (but lower elderly and infant mortality) SUMMARY:Food was generally abundant, and H-G take less time and spend less energy gathering food than early agriculturalists.Possess(ed) detailed knowledge of plants, environmental management, plantchemistry.The reason these groups did not develop agriculture was not because they lacked intelligence or skill, but rather that they saw no need