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Domestication in the Middle East - Chapter 7
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Transcript of Domestication in the Middle East - Chapter 7
WORLD PREHISTORY and ARCHAEOLOGY: PATHWAYS THROUGH TIME, 3rd EDITION
Michael Chazan
Chapter 7
TOWERS, VILLAGES, AND LONGHOUSES
Part Three:Perspectives On Agriculture
• The emergence of settled villages in the Middle East.
• The domestication of plants and animals in the Middle East.
• The relationship among domestication, villages, and technology in the development of agriculture in the Middle East.
• The questions surrounding the spread of agriculture to Europe.
Learning ObjectivesAfter reading the chapter, you should understand:Learning ObjectivesAfter reading the chapter, you should understand:
Centers and “Non-Centers” of Domestication
Plant characteristics that were selected for during domestication Reduction/loss of the
means of seed/fruit dispersal
- Brittle rachis - Shattering of pods
Reduction/loss of dormancy
More compact growth habit Shorter time to flowering
and maturity Gigantism Photoperiod insensitivity Reduction/loss of toxic
compounds
There were layoffs at the plant
Sorry Larry, we’re letting
you go
• ~ 15,000 years ago, the great ice sheets began to retreat, ushering in the Holocene (recent time)
• World sea levels rose rapidly some 300 feet, resulting in major changes to geography
• Asia was separated from North America and Indonesia became a string of islands, while Britain became an island
After the Ice Age
After the Ice Age• ~ 15,000 years ago, the great ice sheets began to
retreat, ushering in the Holocene (recent time)• World sea levels rose rapidly some 300 feet, resulting
in major changes to geography• Climate changes resulted in lush area becoming arid
while other areas became forested• Rainfall patterns changed• Warmer conditions resulted in new plant species into
higher elevation zones of mountains
Changes in Hunter-Gatherer Societies• Many late Ice Age and early Holocene hunter-
gatherer societies were preadapted to food production, as they were already exploiting some food resources intensively and living more sedentary lifeways
• In the Middle East, food resources were diverse and seasonally predictable
Origins of Food Production• In contrast to early theories that food production was
a revolutionary development, modern hypotheses invoke social relations, population growth, and ecological factors as multiple causes of food production
The Fertile Crescent
• Location In south from Israel and Jordan In north into Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon In east into northern Iraq and western Iran
• Geography Varies from northern woodlands through open park
woodlands to steppes and true deserts in the south and east
The First Farmers in Southwestern Asia
• Southwestern Asia was cool and dry immediately after the Ice Age, with dry steppe over much of the interior
• The first evidence for plant domestication comes from Abu Hureyra on the Euphrates River in about 10,000 B.C.
• Sheep and goats replaced gazelle hunting abruptly at the same site and other settlements after 9000 B.C.
TABLE 7.1 Stages in the Transition to Agriculture in the Middle East
The Early Neolithic
• Evidence of Wild Grains Used• Botanical remains• Harvest and processing tools• Not farmed—seeds not stored or planted• Did not need humans for protection or
reproduction
• Dogs domesticated• Wild gazelles, fish, birds
The Early Neolithic
• Development of Farming in Middle East Cereals—emmer wheat, einkorn wheat, and barley
– Increased grain size with tough rachis Pulses—lentils, peas Legumes—bitter vetch, chick peas
• Domestication of Animals in Latter PPNB Sheep
Natural range is northern mountains of Turkey, Iraq, and IranGoats
Specific place unknown Pigs and cattle
at end of PPNB
The Early Neolithic
• Shifts in Tools Technology From tools made on bladelets to tools
made on blades (PPNB) Used for sickles (polish indicates use)
Ground stone axes and adzes for wood working
Grinding stones for cereals Use of Plaster (PPNB)
Highly developed process of burning of limestone
Used on floors and in rituals Some bowls and basins
Plaster-covered human skull from Jericho
The Late Neolithic• Pottery Manufacture Small bowls, jars, cooking
vessels Hand formed, not wheel-
made Low temperature firing Variation across time and
space in form, decoration
• Plaster Making Ceases
• Stone Tools Expedient tools made of
local materials Minimal energy investment
in creating tools Serrated sickle blades are
common
Sickle Polish on Serrated Blade
The Late Neolithic in Middle East
• Fewer sites, smaller• Few large sites remainMany abandoned Remainder not densely packed
• Small, dispersed hamlets• Symbolic artifacts Stylized human figurines Plastered skulls not found
The Late Neolithic• Central and Western Turkey Dense villages continue
• Çatalhöyük site 9,000–8,000 years ago Rooms with frescoes
Animals, goddesses, geometrics, and vultures Ritual rooms or households
Bulls heads, horns Burials under floor Goddess figurines (cult?)
The Spread of Agriculture to Europe
• Origins in Middle East No indigenous domestication
• “Wave of Advance” 8,500 in Southeastern Europe 7,500 in Central and Western Europe 6,000 in far reaches of Western Europe
The Spread of Agriculture to Europe
• Spread of Farming—Migration or Continuity? Did farmers replace hunter-gatherers?
Population increase required expansion of territory Language dispersal hypothesis
Entire lifeway
The Spread of Agriculture to Europe
• Did Hunter-Gatherers Adopt Agriculture? Adapted well Used fire to manage landscape
Attract animals to grass Wild food plants
• Lepenski Vir Site 8,400–7,600 yrs agoMesolithic hunter-gathers living alongside farmers
The Spread of Agriculture to Europe
• Linear Band Keramik (LBK) culture 7,200 years ago People
Grew Middle Eastern crops and herded Middle Eastern animals
Lived as large extended families in lengthy longhouses (over 90 ft), unlike in Middle East
Rapid onset Uniform migration of people across area Interaction between farmers and hunters
– Trade and exchange– Violence – Variation across area
Key TermsKey Terms
Abu HureyraḈatalhöyükDomestication SyndromeFertile Crescentlanguage dispersal hypothesis
Lepenski VirLinear Band KeramiklunateNatufianplastered skullssicklesYounger Dryas