The Rise of Food Production and Social Change (begins ~ 11,000 yrs The Rise of Food Production and Social Change (begins ~ 11,000 yrs. ago) The purposeful domestication of plants and animals was associated with many social changes, when compared with hunting & gathering: -a smaller share of a population was needed for food acquisition, -thus many people were freed up to specialize as: warriors artisans long distance traders the priesthood Birth rates generally rose with food production, so populations grew, giving farmers numerical advantages over hunter-gatherers.

But more food sometimes didn’t mean better nutrition: Human stature diminished in many settings, and bones, dental evidence suggest poorer nutritional status… WHY? With the rise in specialization, social class differentiation caused less egalitarian relations to emerge, when compared with hunter-gatherer societies. Food distribution became less equal. Dietary diversity fell, as groups became more dependent on a smaller group of foods