1. From Foraging to Farming 250,000+ Years of History)

2. How did we go from small groups of foragers to large populations of farmers?

3. What the Evidence Tells Us
Scientists look at three types of evidence to understand the history of this era
Physical remains from past societies
Bones, relics, stones, etc
Modern foraging communities
Learn basic patterns of life
Genetics
Determine the age of our species and the dates when different populations were separated by ancient migrations
(remember, no written records!)

4. Three Eras of Human History
Era 1: Foraging
250,000 – 8,000 BCE
Most of human history; small communities; global migrations megafaunal extinctions slow population growth
Era 2: Agrarian
8,000 BCE – 1750 CE
Intensification; rapid population growth; cities, states, empires; writing; different histories in different world zones
Era 3: Modern
1750 – Present
Single, global system rapid growth in energy use; increasing rate of extinctions; increased life expectancies

5. Three Significant Changes During the First Era of Human History
The physical development of human beings
The human populating of most major regions of the earth
The Agricultural Revolution

6. Foragers Symbolic Language
Communication was key
People shared information and knowledge began to accumulate
Each generation inherits the accumulated knowledge and could use it to adapt to the environment in new ways

7. By the Numbers… Foragers needed a large area to support themselves
Foraging groups were typically small – how did they stay that way?
Birth control
Population control (kill old and young)
Groups probably encouraged marriage outside of their group
creating ties
Linguistic overlapping
Created network to trade goods, people, and ideas

8. In some areas the people were more sedentary – those with abundant resources
Stay in one place longer before moving; these are referred to as the affluent foragers

9. Migration/Movement
As groups moved, they had to adapt to the new region
Impacts on the environment (as technological change accelerated, early peoples created new landscapes)
Firestick farming (brought new growth/more animals)
Animal extinctions/megafuanal extinctions – large animals (appear to coincide exactly w/the appearance of humans in areas)

10. Key Events in the Foraging Era
300,000 – 200,000 BCE
Modern human beings appear in Africa
250,000 BCE
Stone tool technology becomes more sophisticated
200,000 BCE
Humans begin spreading across Africa
100,000 BCE
Humans begin migrating out of Africa to Eurasia
50,000 BCE
Development of more sophisticated technologies accelerates
50,000 – 40,000 BCE
Australia is settled
30,000 BCE
Siberia is settled
30,000 – 20,000 BCE
More sophisticated tools such as the bow and arrow are invented
13,000 BCE
Humans arrive in the Americas
10,000 BCE
The foraging era ends with the development of agriculture
All dates are approximate

12. Population Grows
As humans spread over more and more of the Earth, numbers surely increased
Technological creativity accelerated

13. Doubling Time – Population Growth
Growth rate 0.01% (if you had 11 people in your village and wanted to have a soccer game, you’d have to wait 9,000 years to have enough people for another team!)
Agrarian era – 1400 years
Modern era – 85 years

14. Change Comes Slowly
During this 250,000 year period change slowly accelerated
Foraging techniques were improving and eventually people learned to exploit their surroundings – the 1st step towards agriculture

15. Agrarian Era – 10,000 years
Eventually people began to harvest yams, fruits, and grains
Change began to occur, little by little (imperceptible, not like today)
Humans learned to communicate and live successfully in new environments
Agrarian communities grew into large civilizations
Earliest records indicate that agriculture developed some 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent

16. Agriculture developed later in other regions Each region developed particular crops

17. Two Dramatic Developments
The rise and interaction among early agricultural-based (river valley) civilizations
The growth of larger pastoral communities
The interactions:
Allowed agricultural techniques to spread
Created long distance trade systems
Encouraged the growth of militaristic attitudes among communities in Eurasia and Africa

18. The Quest for Order
With the end of a nomadic lifestyle, rapid increases in population occurred
Populations became concentrated in urban areas
Work specialization and social distinctions increased, and people began to accumulate wealth
Larger, denser communities created new problems which were solved by forming the large, hierarchical structures we call states

19. The “Agricultural Revolution / Transition”
Early Agricultural Society
Emergence of Villages and Towns
Specialization of Labor
Metal Working
Textile Production
Social Distinctions
Neolithic Culture
Religious Values
The Origins of Urban Life
Emergence of Cities
*The growth of agriculture provided not only new sources of food, but also greater social complexity

20. The Neolithic Era & the Transition to Agriculture
Origins & Early Spread of Agriculture

21. Significant Changes During This Time
Civilizations begin to grow and develop
Birth and spread of world religions
Populations continue to rise and we see the emergence of large scale empires
Emergence of a ruling class (necessary for territorial or economic expansion)

22. Traits of a Civilization Rise of City-States/Empires
Specialization of labor (from surplus of food)
Record keeping with a written language (to manage life for large numbers of people living across wide areas)
Complex institutions – government, social hierarchy, religion
Trade & technology
Advanced cities

23. Key events in the Agrarian Era
13,000 – 11,000 BCE
Some humans begin to live in settled communities
9000 – 8000 BCE
Cattle are domesticated in the Sahara region of Africa
8000 BCE
Grain crops are cultivated in Mesopotamia/Yams are cultivated in West Africa
7000 BCE
Grains and rice are cultivated in n/s China. Yams and taro are cultivated in Papua New Guinea. Squash is cultivated in Mesoamerica
4000 BCE
The secondary products revolution takes lace in parts of Afro-Eurasia
3000 BCE
Plants are cultivated in the Andes. Cities and states appear in Mesopotamia and Egypt
2500 BCE
Cities and states appear in India, Pakistan, and N. China
2000 BCE
Eurasian trade networks develop
1000 BCE
Cities and states appear in Mesoamerica and the Andes
500 BCE – 1000 CE
New cities and states emerge, population increases, and interregional trade networks develop
500 – 1200 CE
Many of the Pacific islands are settled
1500 CE
All major world regions are linked through migration and trade
1750 CE
The agrarian era ends with the appearance and spread of industrialization