a domesticated plant or animal is
genetically modified as a
consequence of human
manipulation
analysis of plant and animal
remains at a site will indicate
whether the occupants were food
producers
Edible parts of domesticated
plants are usually larger than those
of their wild counterparts
Domestication produces skeletal
changes in some animals
Age and sex imbalances in herd
animals may also indicate human
domesticators
The switch to food production did
not free people from hard work
Food production is not necessarily
a more secure means of
subsistence than foraging
Domestication began because the
oasis attracted hungry animals
The animals were too thin to eat, so
people began to fatten them up
Theory fell out of favor as studies of
the origins of domestication were
begun in the late 1940s
Domestication began in the hilly
flanks of the Fertile Crescent
The people were at the point in
their evolutionary development
where they were “settling in”
This culture-bound theory reflected
notions of progress that people in
the Western world had faith in
following WWII
As early as 13,000 y.a. people
living east of Aleppo, Syria, grew
domestic rye
They continued to rely on wild
plants and animals for food
3 millennia later they became
farmers
The process was a consequence of
a chance convergence of
independent natural events and
cultural developments
Fertile Crescent
of Southwest
Asia and the
Area of Natufian
Culture
Lived at a time of dramatically
changing climates in the region
Shallow lakes dried up, leaving just
three in the Jordan River Valley
The plants best adapted to
instability and seasonal aridity
were annuals, including wild cereal
grains and legumes
Natufians modified their
subsistence practices:
regularly fired the landscape to
promote browsing by red deer
and grazing by gazelles
placed greater emphasis on the
collection of wild seeds from
annual plants that could be
stored through the dry season
Crops become more productive
and more vulnerable
Periodically population outstrips
food supplies and people are apt to
move into new regions
In this way, farming has often
spread from one region to another,
as into Europe from Southwest
Asia
Domestication of Sheep Resulted in
Evolutionary Change
Southwest Asia (A1), Central Africa (A2),
China (B1), Southeast Asia (B2),
Mesoamerica (C1), South America (C2),
North America (C3)
People developed scythes, forks,
hoes, and plows to replace their
simple digging sticks
Pestles and mortars were used for
preparation of grain
Plows were redesigned when
domesticated cattle became
available for use as draft animals
Pottery vessels could be used for
storing small grain, seeds, and other
materials
Pottery was also used for cooking,
pipes, ladles, lamps, and other objects
Some cultures used large vessels for
disposal of the dead
Widespread use of pottery is a good
indication of a sedentary community
For the first time in history,
clothing was made of woven
textiles
Raw materials came from:
flax and cotton from farming
wool from domesticated sheep
silk from silk worms
spindle & loom from the human
mind