The Surprising Ways Inventions And Ideas Spread In Ancient Prehistory - OpEd

[wnylib]

3. Agree. There are steps in the development of villages, cities,

and large complexes that are missing.

I was taught that agriculture led hunter-gatherers to a sedentary lifestyle, but I suspect that animal habitats and extended families played a role in settlements before agriculture did. Agriculture allowed larger settlements because it could feed larger numbers of people in one place, but semi-permanent settlements of extended families (clans) in areas where game could be consistently hunted or trapped most likely preceded the larger villages and cities that developed with agriculture.

Following game animals led to the domestication of herd animals in areas of the Middle East and southeastern Europe. Bands of herders had semi-permanent villages, were connected through clan relationships, and moved their herds seasonally for grazing.

Larger, more permanent settlements were possible when agriculture and the domesticated animals were combined in a lifestyle. When both meat and crops were available in one area, people could stay put, start building larger homes and ceremonial sites, and develop more varied and specialized occupations.

In pre-Columbian North America, settlements that eventually grew into large villages and cities often began as trade and ceremonial sites that drew people from nearby regions, not always from the same ethnic identity.

The spread of maize agriculture played a role, but the availability of fish led to weirs and ponds that ensured a supply of animal food. Careful tending of habitats encouraged the availability of nearby large game (deer) to hunt and small game (rabbits, beavers) to trap. In the Midwest, where large stone building blocks were not available, the people built large earthen monuments and ceremonial mounds based on astronomy, with homes for political and ceremonial leaders. Residential homes for the general population were outside of the ceremonial centers. Artifacts from civilization sites like Cahokia include carved stone pipes, copper tools and jewelry, shell jewelry, obsidian knives, pottery, small statues, etc. The population was around 20,000.