The Neolithic

1. The Neolithic SOC 370: Social Change Dr. Kimberly Martin

2. The Neolithic Revolution The shift from hunting and gathering to subsistence based on domesticated plants and animals The shift was gradual, moving from simple hunting and gathering through complex hunting and gathering to domestication. • 13,000 YA (years ago) the beginnings of domestication, combined with hunting and gathering (more recent dates than the 10,000 YA dates) • All parts of the world: West Asia (Middle East), East Asia, SE Asia, Europe, Africa, N & S. America

4. Domesticated Animals Approximate dates and locations of some original domesticated animals Species Date Location Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) 15000 BC East Asia Sheep (Ovis aries)between 11000 BC Southwest Asia Goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) 10000 BC Iran Pig (Sus scrofa domestica) 9000 BC Near East, Middle East Cow (Bos taurus) 8000 BC India, Middle East, Sub- Saharan Africa Cat (Felis silvestris catus) 7500 BC Near East Chicken (Gallus gallus) 6000 BC India & Southeast Asia Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus) 5000 BC Peru Donkey (Equus asinus) 5000 BC Egypt Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) 4000 BC India, China Horse (Equus caballus) 4000 BC Central Asia Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) 4000 BC Arabia Llama (Lama glama) 3500 BC Peru

5. 5 Characteristics of the Neolithic • The neolithic occurred around the world independently in many places • The neolithic is associated with the same consequences everywhere (social ranking, sedentary, population increases) • The neolithic is a gradual process • This was a technological, not an intellectual shift (the knowledge was always there, they just used it differently) • Domesticates were more trouble, therefore much resistance to the changes

6. Pre 1960’s Theories about the Neolithic • The Neolithic was a logical outgrowth of the expansion of human knowledge over time. • Domesticates were “obviously superior” to hunting and gathering (ethnocentric and not true)

7. Population Pressure Theories Esther Boserup “Law of Least Effort” People will only expend effort when they have to Populations pressure is what made the added effort of domestication necessary

8. Population Pressure 2 • Cohen – humans began to domesticate when they were forced to settle for less desirable wild foods because of population size. • Domesticates are NOT easier or more secure than hunting and gathering • Advantage of domesticates is only that you can produce more calories per unit of land • Only when large numbers of calories are required does domestication provide an advantage

9. Climate Change Theories Climate change at 11,000 YA caused grasslands to turn to forests, reducing the big game herds that supported H & G Humans were forced to shift to small game and domesticates Alternative “oasis theory” says that as climate dried out, people were forced to crowd together at oases and there was not enough wild food to support the crowd at the oasis

10. Cultural Selectionist Theories • Domestication is a result of a symbiotic relationship between plants and humans • No intentionality or rationality to the process • The plants that humans use get disbursed by them, and become more common in their environments • The more common they become, the more they are used and their use selects for domestication features (poor natural disbursal, larger food portion) until at last, humans are raising them

11. Study Guide • Neolithic revolution • Logical outgrowth theories • Population pressure theories • Boserup • Law of least effort • Cohen • Climate change theories • The oasis theory • Cultural selectionist theories