ANTHROP 1AA3 Lecture 11: Week 8: Lecture 2
28 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
Studying the time(s) when people shifted from a dependency upon wild resources to the cultivation and herding of animals/plants. Earliest evidence: domesticated cereals c. 11 000 years ago. Domestication of maize, beans, and squash c. 7000 years ago. Llama, alpaca, guinea pig, potato and quinoa c. 7500-4500 bp. Origins of rice cultivation c. 10 000-8000 bp (middle yangtzi) Origins of millet cultivation c. 8500 bp (yellow rivers) Domesticates: control the means of production (from gathering to management) Larger social groups = potential for greater social complexity (>200 people) Sedentism allows the development of pottery (lots of stuff" in general) The fertile crescent" (jh breasted) is a rich ecological zone. Natural home to many of what became staple domesticates: barley, wheat, legumes, sheep/goat, pig, cattle, etc . Drought (post ice-age) pushes humans and animals together. Agriculture develops from shared environment: initial focus on animals. Evidence lacking (also some agricultural sites pre-date warmer period)
