Chapter 2: First Farmers-The Revolution of Agriculture, 10,000 BCE to 3,000 BCE Questions:
1. What accounts for the emergence of agriculture after countless millennia of human life without it?
• The conclusion of the Ice Age (11,000 years ago) improved the climate considerably. Agriculture became possible; plants no longer would only freeze to death.
• Extinction of large animals that were a previously relied-upon resource forced humanity into discovering (or in this case, creating) new food.
2. In what different ways did the Agriculture Revolution take shape in various parts of the world?
• Within the Fertile Crescent, there were many easily domesticated plants and animals. This provided a plentiful resource from which settlers could partake
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• Chiefdoms: A type of agricultural village society, which overlooked, and ruled, by an official chief. Chiefs did not subject force and relied more so on their inherent charisma in order to persuade their peoples.
6. How did chiefdoms differ from stateless agricultural village societies?
• Chiefs relied on their inherent charisma to appeal and persuade their people, Agricultural village societies had large assemblies in which they would agree upon resolutions for conflict.
• Chiefdoms had one specific leader opposed to a complete lack of authoritative figures.
• Agricultural village societies were almost free of distinguished inequality, while Chiefdoms certainly had prominent social inequalities. Terms:
• Agricultural Revolution: A revolutionary and purposeful change from the hunting and gathering lifestyle, humans began to grow specific plants and domesticate, then breed, wild animals as to expand their own resources.
• Banpo: Its remains uncovered in 1953, Banpo is a city near (present-day) Xian in which about 500 people lived and spent their time domesticating animals, collected grain, and made
Even before its permanent settlement, both Native Americans and French explorers preceded the eventual constancy and relished in the bounty of fresh resources and adequate life. A majority of the land and climate was prime for the most efficient farming
In response to the declining trade and vanishing cities, money became scarce. From 800 to 1200 CE however, the climate increased to better fit the requirements of farming. Farm production increased as a result of the climate change, the new three-field system, and the transfer from oxen to horsepower. Europe, which had earlier been described as a “region of poverty-stricken farming communities” (Doc. A) was filled with nutrient people.
In The Worst Hard Time, the author explains how new technology led to overproduction of many crops. A tractor was able to do the work of ten horses and a combine was able to thresh grain in one swoop. A farmer’s harvest could even go up by the thousands. As the farmers made more money they bought nearby land and ripped the grass out to make more space for more crops (Doc. C). With the overproduction of land came bare fields.
They soon learned how to turn it into other things such as molasses and rum, making them very rich. The Europeans offered a grant of land to people who would come over and made the Natives living there work as slaves. Horses also came over with the Europeans. At first it gave the Europeans an advantage, but eventually the Natives learned how to use them to their
When two different worlds joined together, one was almost demolished (Nunn, Qian). The introduction of new plants, new animals, and new ways of production negatively affected the methods of food production and the lands of America. First of all, the English colonists came to settle down on the American land, some seeking religious freedom, others sent as indentured servants, and others to seeking to obtain profit from the new land (Mintz, McNeil). These permanent settlements reshaped the land according to the ideal styles of European agriculture (Mintz, McNeil). In order to efficiently make profit out of farming and selling, the Europeans made plantations for cash crops like tobacco and sugar (Nunn, Qian).
The peasants, included of farmers and fishermen, was the largest social group of whom were all legally bound to by the person who owned their land. Chonin, last on the
Between 1865 and 1900 American agriculture was changed through things like, government policy, technology, and economic conditions. Through 1865 and 1900, the market of agriculture experienced political adjustments in management of the land by the government whom increased prices and controlled land sales. Government also regulated economic changes with the debut of up and coming equipment and technology that greatly influenced the growth of the farming business. Many farmers reaction to the decline in agriculture due to the political and economic alterations was to become more involved in government and politics in order to favor laws that would benefit the agriculture society.
The first is the rise of farming eleven thousand years ago, the second is the discovery of crop rotation, moldboard plow, horse collar and other. The third is the shift toward agro-biotech practices. This has made it to where there is many different types of agriculture that are practiced all around the
These individuals are simply animal herders whose sustenance is met with the resources that readily obtained from their animals. These individuals also engage with other groups in small-scale trading and selling. Social inequality is created through the expansion of productive technology. Agricultural societies began with the coming together of larger populations of people, resulting in settlements and the quest for large-scale farming, resulting in the use of improved and advanced technologies such as fertilizers and irrigation systems. It is possible for Agrarian societies to create massive food surpluses and make it possible to grow to an unimaginable size.
Have you ever wondered what Agricultural Revolution was and if it had a positive or negative effect on human civilization? Well, the Agricultural Revolution had a huge effect on civilization. It was when humans discovered how to farm! This took place from about 10,000 B.C to about 3,000 B.C. I believe it had a positive effect on human civilization for a couple of reasons.
Chiefdoms are characterized by hereditary rule and people are ranked according to the family they belong to. Alternatively, North America also had tribal societies that were governed by consensus and tribal councils during the Woodland
After 1750s industrial revolution began and it led to advances in agricultural technology that greatly increased food production, which allow other people to pursue other work. At that time horsepower came into use and machinery like steam engine used in the agricultural process. Tractors were used for ploughing. In 1701 Jethro Tull’s used drill ways of sowing seed in rows, in the place of broadcasting. The industrial revolution changed the whole pattern of agriculture.
The essay will discuss a paper written by anthropologist Gregory Possehl – Sociocultural complexity without the state: the Indus Civilization. It will first present the usual classification when approaching ancient civilisations and briefly summarise Possehl’s main argument. The essay will then dig more deeply into the Indus case, relying on archaeological findings, to see how far Possehl’s position can be supported. Archaeologists and anthropologists are usually classifying social groups considering their social organisation and material culture – one widely accepted classification recognizes four levels of development: (1) the band, a hunter-gather, kinship-based group, (2) the tribe, an organised collection of bands, (3) the chiefdom, a centrally organised kinship-based group with hierarchy and single leader, and (4) the state, a complex, hierarchical, centrally organised, non-kinship-based social organisation (Young 2014:19). Such a classification has stirred debates among scholars, as it conveys the preconceived idea that social groups ‘progress’ following this linear trajectory – furthermore, it is difficult to define the moment and the circumstances associated to a change of status (when does a band become a tribe?)
Also, the Agricultural Revolution, along with the lowered prices of food, contributed to the population growth (Lumen, Social Change). An increase in industrialization and the emergence of
New agricultural technology changed the early middle ages for the better. The agricultural revolution of the middle ages meant a technical advance in farming which makes lives of those involved