WOH 2012 Quiz: Exam 1 study guide fall 2016
Document Summary
First examination study guide: compare societies before the agricultural revolution with societies that came later. + they are small, consisting of bands of 25-50 people, in which all relationships were intensely personal and normally understood in terms of kinship. + the available technology did not support population growth. The low productivity of a gathering and hunting economy did not allow the production of much surplus. + had rules & structures like all other human cultures: rules about distributing the meat from an animal kill (emphasize reciprocal sharing of goods), rules about incest & adultery governed sexual behavior. + leaders arose as needed to organize a task (hunt), but without conferring permanent power on individuals. + gathering & hunting people worked fewer hours to meet their material needs than people in the agriculture society => more leisure time => low life expectancy (average of 35 yrs old)
