Chapter 14: The Origins of Agriculture

Overview
Changes in subsistence and settlement patterns at the end of the Pleistocene set the stage for the Food-Producing Revolution. These changes are described and the archaeological evidence for the increased sedentism, intensive exploitation of plants and closer relationships with animals that led to domestication and the establishment of the first farming villages is examined. The processes by which wild plants and animals were domesticated are explored and the major hypotheses for the shift from foraging to agriculture are presented along with a survey of key sites where this shift first occurred. The chapter concludes with a look at agriculture’s nutritional impact.

Practice Exam (50 Questions)

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