Transition to Agriculture Transition From Hunting /

Transition to Agriculture

Transition from Hunting / Gathering to Agriculture

The transition of the human society from a nomadic hunting / gathering to a settled society based on systematic agriculture (also known as the Agricultural Revolution) is considered to be one of the most significant changes in human history. In this paper we shall look at when and how such a change took place and discuss why some historians call this transformation the greatest event of pre-history.

About 12,000 years ago, the human population had spread to most habitable parts of the earth including Australia and North America. Most human societies at the time consisted of small loosely organized groups of hunters / gatherers who adapted to their environment and relied on whatever resources were available in their surrounding territories. These 'territories' were not permanent settlements and the mobile groups of people often moved seasonally in order to remain close to their food supplies. Humans living in temperate and tropical regions typically got 70-80% of their food from 'gathering,' and the balance through 'hunting,' while those living in the Arctic and sub-Arctic region relied mainly on hunting.

In the hunting and gathering societies there was no 'specialization' of roles within groups except that the 'gathering' function was usually performed by the women and the 'hunting' was mainly done by the men. Life was communal and egalitarian with few class distinctions. Their mobile way of life was suited to the raising of small families, which kept the populations in check and did not put a strain on the earth's resources and environment.

For reasons that are still being debated among historians and anthropologists alike, systematic agriculture began to replace hunting and gathering societies in the Near East about 10~12,000 years ago and gradually spread to other parts of the world. The transition was by no means sudden and took a few thousand years, but it is still a relatively short period when seen in the context of human history.

The agricultural society was starkly different in many ways as compared to a hunting / gathering society. The most marked difference between the two was that for the first time in their history, human beings started to live a sedentary life (living permanently in one place). The new way of life based in permanent settlements led to the emergence of human 'communities.' These permanent communities were responsible for numerous other developments and the growth of 'civilizations' as we know them today. For example, archeological findings indicate that construction of solid buildings coincided with the appearance of the first agricultural societies. Since mobility was no longer a requirement, the human 'tool kit' began to expand. Technology started to develop since 'specialization' now became possible with people adopting specialized activities at which they were skilled. Population began to expand exponentially since it was now desirable to have more children with agriculture requiring more 'hands' in the fields.