Re: Reading 758-27 (archive)

On 12/12/24 6:29 PM, Mario Petrinovic wrote:

         This means bigger societies. This means division of labor, ie. craftsmen appeared.

Um... yes.
Exploiting the forest supports a higher population
density than does the savanna, exploiting the sea
supports a higher population density than does
hunting-gathering in the forest, agriculture
supports a higher population density than does the
exploitation of the sea.
This doesn't mean a primate fell out of tree and
began immediately growing their own grains...
Although proto agriculture, technically, has no
upward limit on age -- it's leaps & bounds beyond
gathering -- we're not exactly bristling with
evidence for it much before agriculture itself.
I suspect that it's not a very large step from
proto agriculture to agriculture.
I've heard of people, modern people, people living
right now who exploit natural plants often leaving
every third of however many, ensuring there will be
more next year. THAT would qualify as proto
agriculture, would it not?
The next step would be, what?  Picking all the plants
you DON'T want, leaving the fields clear for the
plants you do want?  Might that be even less complicated
than amassing seeds, figuring out when & how to plant
them?
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https://jtem.tumblr.com/tagged/The%20Book%20of%20JTEM/page/5