Neolithic Culture Why Humans Settled Down

Why Humans Became Food Producers ForagingFarming Knew much about local plant and animal species Good nutrition Less work Stable food supply Hard work Food source is unreliable – food crisis Theory – farming began as a way to fatten animals at oases

The Fertile Crescent Humans evolved in Africa Soon moved north – reasons? Humans soon populated the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Theories Oasis Theory (V. Gordon Childe) Population Growth (Cohen) Seasonal Stress (McCorriston and Hole) Hilly Flanks theory of animal domestication (Hole)

Oasis Theory A type of environmental determinism. Southwest Asia became drier 12 to 15,000 years ago. People congregated around oases. People collected the seeds of wild grasses. This led to plant cultivation. Cultivation of plants attracted wild cattle and sheep and goats. This led to animal domestication. Problem: ▫Domestication did not occur first at oases

Population Growth Hunting, fishing and gathering were very productive. So productive that population grew. More people needed more food People in marginal areas decided to domesticate animals and plants to provide new food Problems: ▫Domestication is gradual and would not provide people with more food in the short term. ▫Assumes domestication was intentional. However, people cannot predict which plants or animals could be domesticated.

Seasonal Stress theory The earliest plant domestication took place around the margins of evaporating lakes. For example, the Jordan River Valley. Beginning in the Mesolithic, the climate became warmer with seasonal droughts (these are seasonal stresses.) Annuals are best adapted to this environment,wild cereal and grains produce abundant seeds and survive for long periods of drought. People collected wild plants, for example, wheat, barley, and rye.They used sickles, which meant that plants with tough stems and seeds that did not readily scatter were the most likely to be carried back to settlements. Some lost seeds germinated at disturbed sites such as latrines, garbage pits, and burned over areas. People began to promote growth of these annuals.

Hilly Flanks Theory of Animal Domestication Wild sheep and goats were domesticated in the hilly flanks or the foothills of the Zargos Mountains in present day Iraq and Iran Wild sheep and goats migrated up and down mountains due to the seasonal availability of grasses. Sheep and goats grazed in the lowlands during the winter and in the high pastures in the summer. People follow these animals, and became very familiar with their behavior and habits By 11,000 years ago, the percentage of male lamb remains increased. This indicates the presence of herd management Females were spared for breeding and people were feasting on ram lambs. By 8000 years ago, domesticated sheep and goats were being kept at villages like Jericho.

Other Centers of Domestication

Did you also notice that the domestication occurred largely in the southern hemisphere? Interesting considering that the power today lies in the northern hemisphere.

Neolithic Material Culture Tool MakingNeolithic Stone Tools Tools were made of wood, bone and stone Chipping, flaking, grinding and polishing were methods used to shape tools Tools included: sickles, scythes, forks, hoes, plows, and mortars and pestles Specialized skills developed for making tools, including leatherworks, weaving and pottery

Neolithic Material Culture Pottery Fired clay (first) Needed to store food and other perishables Made trade more possible, trade routes could be longer Fragile – less useful for nomads and hunters Requires artful skill

Neolithic Material Culture HousingMany different types Hunters and gatherers had no need for permanent housing Made of wood, stone, sun- dried, or poles plastered together with mud or clay Often associated with farming settlements, but not necessarily (eg. West coast of Canada)

Neolithic Material Culture ClothingLoom and Spindle Clothing now made of textiles (instead of hides or furs) Flax, cotton, wool (sheep, llama, goat), silk Invention of spindle and loom

Neolithic Social Structure Little archaeological evidence of hierarchical structure – egalitarian Little evidence of religion Burial exhibit no differentiation – all were given the same treatment Oddly, these communities could come together to produce very impressive structures and sites (eg. Stonehenge) Most groupings probably all knew each other

Spread of Neolithic Civilization