Mesolithic to Neolithic Transition: Society, Art, Agriculture & Technology

all right good afternoon students if I'm audible please let me know I hope you're doing

well all right now in our previous lecture we were talking about the Neolithic

Age we had talked about the climatic changes we had talked about the Neolithic

technology we had also talked about the subsistence pattern we have talked about the

settlement and dwelling pattern we had talked about

their society and culture in

fact that Mesolithic Society was a transitional phase between the Paleolithic Band Society and the C

Society of the uh Neolithic age and thus it was a more developed form

of Band Society human competition had given way to human cooperation as a result of

which sorry corporate Identity or corporate organization had started to

emerge then we had also learned that family had emerged as the main St of the society it had emerged as the basic

building block of the society it was characterized by consciousness of lineage or

ancestry and functionally it was defined by division of labor on the basis

of age and gender right we had also talked about misthic religion

discussion H so religion religion was animistic okay so animism defined

the religious belief system of the Mesolithic people what are animistic Cults or animistic religions Central

belief that all objects that is both living and non-

living have a spirit or Soul okay and thus are they going to

have any impact direct or indirect on the lives of ordinary human beings or not hogga

does they directly or indirectly

influence human existence or human life okay now why do you think that their religion was defined by

animism what was the environment that the Mesolithic people used to live in how did they used to obtain their food

what did their survival depend upon it depended upon nature their environment so therefore

they had developed a great emotional connection with their environment with the tools that they were using and with

the animals that they depended upon and in fact they had attributed some Divine attributes to this to these things and

as a result what are we going to find that animal figures

were the most well

represented in misthic art or misthic

paintings okay so if we are looking for the most accurate depictions the most vibrant and colorful depictions of any

kinds of objects or figures animal figures what does this tell us that the Mesolithic people had

been giving almost Godlike reverence to these animal figures supernatural beings who have the ability to directly

influence the lives of ordinary human beings and since we have touched upon painting

let us talk about them in Greater detail misthic age was

the most prolific age

for rock paintings from everywhere where Mesolithic people used to

live some of the most famous collections come from places such as beim

bka suag sundad Andra Pradesh Tamil

Nadu Karnataka Etc okay in beima we find paintings belonging to various ages the

earliest paintings belong to the upper Paleolithic Age and the latest paintings belong to

the Medieval Age how however more than 60% of these paintings belong to the Mesolithic period

alone what does this tell us that Mesolithic age was the most prolific age for rock paintings

were there any changes with regards to the depiction of these paintings from the earlier period

yes earlier what was the most prominent theme animal and Bird Paintings

okay misthic period they are going to continue but certain new themes are going to emerge as well such

as hunting and Gathering activities such

as Community scenes such as feasts

or festivals Gatherings of people dance music Etc

what else family scenes we start to get

example cooking of food taking care of children Etc

right then we also start finding abstract scenes

but abstract PS subject matter is not clear in the first instance so these are derived from

the things that the painter was observing so abstract

scenes such as geometrical or naturalistic

designs then we start seeing new types of painting known as x-ray

paintings rights paintings in which paintings in which internal organs

of the object are shown for example if it is a human figure so internal organs of a pregnant female including the child

within her womb that is going to be depicted or if it is an animal figure uh then the internal organs of that animal

are going to be depicted so these kinds of things are going to be shown right now further change we

find is in the discrepancy with which animal and human figures are shown

animal figes anatomically

accurate colorful lifelike

and vibrant or youthful appearance almost as if they are the

very Source of Life okay human figes men and

women are shown us using different techniques wom in two dimensional threedimensional

form three diim threedimensional form women have a full

bed bigger but the level of attention to detail that is given to animal figures is missing okay men on the other hand

are treated with the most disdain as stick

figures why do you think this is it goes back to the belief system right

animals almost as supernatural beings there was a deep emotional connection between men and uh animals humans and

animals who was in charge of hunting activities primarily men or women men okay now the killing of

animals unnecessary but sinful activity right so the killing of animals by these Hunters must have evoked some sense of

guilt some sense sense of sinfulness and it is obvious that these people did not want them to be directly associated with

the act of killing animals women on the other hand were uh gender based division of labor they were in charge of what

kinds of activities cooking child rearing childbearing giving care to the members

of the family and Gathering activities they were not directly involved in the killing of animals and that is why that

Associated sense of guilt was absent in the case of women that is why a more accurate depiction of women was possible

okay now between men and women economically productive roles perform men or women

women women were in charge of gathering

food child rearing and activities whereas men were primarily involved only in

the hunting activities right so Society had more need for women as compared to men and this may also reflect the

discrepancy in the way in which men and women are shown importance women which reflects their

greater importance in the economic cycle then coming back to

religion what did the people do with their dead bodies did they simply discard them or

did they bury them in a proper manner buried them in a proper manner ritualistic burial becomes evident from

across all the Mesolithic sites common trait for example the dead bodies are

always buried in a north south orientation head towards the north feet towards the

South we also find that in many cases uh red

or AER colored shroud is put over the dead before burying them

right and why are we associating The Cult of ritualism with these burials which must have been part of

some ritual istic ceremony why do you think such practices became evident during the Mesolithic

period practices couple of factors first of all it must have become a matter of

practical necessity for them where human beings during the Mesolithic period also constantly move

moving around in search of shelter and food like the Paleolithic people they were but not to with the

same frequency and not to the same extent in fact they were spending several months together at the same

place or permanent fishing villages emerge would it have made sense for these people to Simply discard their

dead wherever they fell to settlement right this would have been extremely unhygienic it may have

resulted in some discomfort also right therefore practical necessity and

secondly by this point of time the social organization was becoming more complex the emotional bonds between

different individuals were becoming stronger growing consciousness of lineage was emerging as family unit

became stronger and stronger it became the basic building block of the society awareness and cons consiousness of being

part of that unit became dominant right and people started having the Consciousness that they and their

ancestors are connected to each other through this genetic link to Bloodline flow which connects them to their

ancestors there is going to be greater reverence and greater respect for the elderly right emotional bonds are also

going to become stronger as the entire family unit is looked at as a single whole and when some loved one

dies respectfully send off ritual start right and along with this as religious Consciousness started growing the idea

of life after death what happens to an individual the idea of rebirth Etc popular

conscious right and secondly therefore

growing consciousness of ancestry and the strengthening

of family and emotional bonds also facilitated the rise of

ritualistic burials did the misthic people believe in the concept of life after

death because from the graves we have found a number of grave Goods such as ornaments weapons tools or even food

stuffs that the dead were supposed to have with them in their afterlife so these things were also buried with them

then we also know that they also believed in things such as

magic charms spells and ghosts

because from many of these grapes we have found talismans so totemic objects for

example some amulet around their arm or around their neck is going to Beed there's a place called

postem after they died their feet had been chopped off below the ankles what does this

signify that right so they believe that Spirits could possess these dead bodies and make

them act right so these kinds of things are indicative of such beliefs so philosophical as well as superstitious

beliefs were starting to develop during this period it clear

sure then we also come to know about emerging social and

economic hierarchies do you think at this point of time there would have been very sharp

differences between the rich and the poor between the poor between the powerful and the

powerless differences differences differences once again by analyzing the

graves in the graves of the more richer and powerful people you'll find objects of greater value you'll find larger

number of objects while in the graves of the ordinary people what are we going to find ordinary objects fewer objects

objects of lesser value these kinds of things we are going to find okay so this is a glimpse of Mesolithic society and

culture okay so a question Mesolithic paintings present a

window into the molic way of

life present a window into the misthic way of life Brank screen and no audio I hope it

is better now Nores okay mus ethic paintings present uh window into the Mesolithic way of

life elaborate 200 words 15 marks yes add

question in the introduction the misthic

age was the most prolific phase

for rock paintings in the prehistoric

Ages full stop they shed light upon Dimensions such

as the subsistence pattern dwelling

and settlement Community Life social structure

religion and the belief

systems of the Mesolithic people Dimensions expand

Mesolithic paintings reflect

a hunter gatherer lifestyle with

abundant hunting scenes and Gathering seeds animals such

as the wolf rhinoceros

Buffalo wild boore Etc

are vibrantly depicted okay

the community life Community scenes such

as feasts festivals and Gatherings

reflect the growing Community bonds social

structure we find that the family

unit was getting

stronger with a proper age and gender based

division of roles Pi uh

further dwelling in settlement Community Life social structure religion and belief systems

religion animistic Cults are evident from these

paintings the misthic people appear to be almost

reverential towards animals towards animals then belief

systems the discovery of abstract paintings

and x-ray paintings depict

that the Mesolithic people hi had

started to Grapple with philosophical questions such

as x-ray paintings that human beings were becoming more aware about the cycle of life for them

the cycle of life began before the act of birth itself at this point of conception so they were becoming more

aware about the beginning and ending of Life they had therefore also started questioning their own lives their

meanings and the meaning of their existence abstract paintings for example in present Maharashtra

what does this look like Earth the surface of the Earth and the Subterranean world right so they had

also started to talk about the nature of the earth and what it represents they must have started developing ideas such

as the Subterranean world or a cosmic World beyond the world that is actually apparent to them so this means that they

had started to Grapple with philosophical questions and is this

clear these observations

are also confirmed by their other

archaological remains that how the picture reflected in these paintings is also reflected in

the archaeology example the ritual istic

burial of the Dead with grave

Goods reflects their belief in the concept

of life after death

okay next example the discovery

of fish and animal bones

from Mesolithic settlements tells us about

their hunting and fishing activities

okay so in this way you have been successful in telling about the importance of

Neolithic paintings and recreating the pattern of life during that period and you have also been able to convince the

examiner that this painting this picture is reliable because the same record is also reflected in the archaeological

findings up a note of caution

or shortcoming that you need to highlight however rich

as misthic paintings are they

can never be used to

create an accurate and detailed

picture of the misthic way of life once again you'll take an

example take example for example that while it is possible for us

to say that the Neolithic people followed a religion which was characterized by some sort of belief in

animistic rituals or animism was the basis of their religious beliefs but will it be possible for us to say that

which particular Mesolithic Community or which particular Mesolithic group of people or culture worshiped which

particular animal or which particular God example

while these paintings reflect and an

aisake belief system it is not possible for us

to pinpoint with accuracy which

Community woried which God or

animal is this clear this example through shortcoming

highl and then finally we are going to conclude go back to the question what is the

wording of the question Mesolithic paintings present us with a window into the life of the Mesolithic people

elaborate right so that is the point that we need to drive home by saying

so however it would

be unfair to

dismiss the importance of Mesolithic

paintings to study the

Mesolithic age these paintings do

not simply reflect or do not simply represent uh living

record of that phase but also

offer a glimpse into the misthic

mind and in the tripartite division of the Prehistoric Age misthic period importance assign that it is the

transitional pH between the Paleolithic to the Neolithic age and process of transformation important

resource these paintings being the transformational

stage between the pic and Neolithic

ages and incomplete or you can say being the transformational stage

between Paleolithic and Neolithic ages had misthic

paintings not existed we would

never have been able

to chart the the evolution

of human beings from food

consumers to food producers right so this is the way in

which we can address this particular question okay right you the Mesolithic

age aspects we have talked about the climate we have talked about the technology

subsist settlement andell we had talked about the geographical footprint we have talked

about their society and culture including the social structure the emerging of community life the emergence

of family structure uh the gender based division of labor the religious beliefs and practices the

growing philosophical depth of the Mesolithic man as well as his emerging uh superstitious beliefs and practices

all right now we move on to the last phase of the Stone Age the

Neolithic Age time period 6,000 BC to roughly 1,000 BC now as always I want to

remind you that these are these dates are always relative Neolithic Age started as early

as 8,000 BC in some other places it started as late as 2000 BC in some places Neolithic culture transformed

into calic ages by as early as 4,000 BC and in some places it took as late as 1,000 BC so that is

why 5,000 years now what are the things that we have to talk about same things climatic changes changes in the human

population changes in technology changes in the subsistence pattern changes in the dwelling pattern settlement pattern

their society and culture Etc right first of all climatic

changes the process which started with the end of the PTO scene that is only going to carry on ever since the end of

the PTO scene what was happening to the climate it was becoming warmer wetter and Milder more conducive for human

existence take the same process is going to reach a new height during this period so

climate continued becoming warmer wetter and

milder okay in response to this what is going to happen to the human

population human population is going to increase and with this what is going to happen to

the balance between population and resources inability inability where is this

instability going to present itself most acutely in the population pressure and the availability of food okay so demand

for food is also going to

intensify okay now how to overcome this shortage of

food by making changes in which the human beings use tools and the purp for using these tools so Neolithic Age began

with the beginning of Agriculture and animal domestication at a large scale during the Neolithic period human beings

prime prime uh permanently transformed themselves from being consumers of food only to producers of food right or is

transformation Co facilitate some technological changes were also necessary

palei or molite rock it is a metamorphic ous Rog which is crystalline in structure

qualities is it a soft rock or a hard rock hard rock it is a durable rock or a brittle

Rock brittle Rock right now human beings replace gadite with

basaltic rocks such as granite okay now btic rocks such as granite in

qualities they are almost as hard as the quad Zite rocks themselves but they are far more

durable so as a result will it be easier for the people to make uh tools out of this

Stone as compared to quad that or will it be harder harder processing

eff but on the flip side dur they'll be able to serve the

creators of the tools for far longer they'll be more versatile also okay and

now human beings could see the logic in making or in spending a large amount of time in investing a large amount of

effort in making these more durable tools more durable tools are going to

emerge now while earlier it did not make much sense to refine the quadside tools which were which were brittle AB it

would make sense for for the people to spend large amounts of time refining these new kinds of tools so these tools

were highly polished and highly grinded so grinding and polishing tools right

so grinding and polishing tools became a new characteristic of the stone technology of these

people right now during the molic period microliths right were to be the were they to be used in isolation or

were they to be used in combination with some other materials some other materials for

example spear heads arrows sha so making tools with a combination

of stone and wood had been known to human beings ever since the Mesolithic period now that same knowledge is going

to be applied to this new stone tool technology and a new variety of tools known

as cells emerged CS these were tools

with handles such as

axes picks hammers plouse

Etc okay now one very important change during the

Neolithic age was induced by the beginning of Agriculture uh technology what was

that agricultural implements to emerge but for the first time a new kind of tool emerged that

is Pottery what was the purpose of these pots in the earlier

phase storage grains right so they poy was used primarily

for storage of grains why did it not emerge during the

Mesolithic period Mesolithic lifestyle hunter gatherer lifestyle so

the people had to immediately consume whatever they killed or gathered there was no question of storing it for later

whereas in agricultural communities the growing cycle Harvest cycle is very short and in

theow Period these grown the the harvest has to be stored over a long period of time both for the purpose of consumption

as as well as for the purpose of uh planting the next crop right therefore the need for storage

emerged initially would be highly refined pots or would they be Co

pots Co quality rough Quality Parts fabric would have also been very thick unrefined

unpolished right and they were hand turned or wheel turned Parts handmade Parts work right

initially these were handmade Parts but

later the pters wheel was

invented right and the invention of the wheel is said

to have been a revolutionary development in human evolution why because it made

long distance travel with heavy

loads using animal power possible and how was this revolutionary

retion huh angles for example trade and communication could be

facilitated exchange networks began to emerge communities did not need to produce all the things that they

required for survival in fact these Commodities could be Bartered with neighboring or other Regional

communities okay further with the exchange of goods ideas and people were also exchanged so there was diffusion of

culture also diffusion of language also language sorry diffusion of knowledge also knowledge acquired by people of a

particular Community could be exchanged with people of other communities so more innovative solutions could be found for

generational problems right so in the realm of human interaction in the realm of texture

of goods as well as knowledge exchange of culture diffusion of culture a revolution took

place you technological changes when it comes to changes in the subsistence

pattern did the neic people completely abandon hunting and Gathering activities no

so hunting Gathering

and fishing activities continued change

while earlier these were the most important sources of obtaining food now these became secondary sources of food

okay however there relative significance

declined okay Agriculture

and animal husbandry emerged as

the most important sources

of food okay now do we find any evidence of the beginning of Agriculture and animal

husbandry evidence archical records we find fossilized charred and

burnt food grains we find

pots and jars containing cook and uncooked

grains from graves we find the

impressions of food grains on

pots so when these pots were still wet they were placed upon the ground or grain

right what else we find the

bones of domesticated animals

from sorry from Neolithic sites right how do we know that these were domesticated animals or not white

wild animals which had simply been caught and slaughtered out in the wild or back at home out in

the wild but these were all slaughtered close to home that means they were being kept nearby for the purpose of

slaughtering them later secondly if we conduct an analysis of the bone fragments we

find fragments young males or young females young males and elderly males or

elderly females elderly females and why is this

domestication process involv that is known as selective breeding

see different animal individuals belonging to different species have their own

attributes uh let's Suppose there is an oin right let us consider oxin he has very large teeth also and uh

he has a habit of running away bolting away the second one is strong but he's far more doile his horns are also a lot

shorter His Hump is also much more pronounced so for a farmer which of these two is more desirable

also second one is more useful he's doile he's not going to hit you he's not going to run away he's far more

controllable take now these kinds of traits start becoming visible in animals from an early stage take what kind of

qualities do you want to be passed to the next generation of cows Bulls the qualities of the first do or the

qualities of the second dogs second dogs to adulthood so that he can procreate he can produce the Next

Generation second you'll slaughter them at a young age that is why young males bone

fragments however this is not desirable among females why because you'll need this female population to produce the

next generation of Offspring okay and once their fertility period is over once they become sterile when they once

they're old enough only then can they be slaughtered for meat right so bones of domesticated animals from Neolithic

sites what else painting right these kinds of things

are useful in telling us that Agriculture and animal husbandry had replaced hunting and Gathering as the

most important source of food but hunting and Gathering continued to be practiced in a complimentary role so to

complement Agriculture and animal husbandry hunting and Gathering activities continued

clear now what were the factors which led to the emergence of Agriculture and animal

husbandry a combination of ecological climatic and technological factors so

the uh rise of Agriculture and animal

husbandry was correct was facilitated by uh combination

of climatic ecological and

technological factors okay in fact this is one major field of debate among historians that

why did human beings start practicing agriculture e now in this field the first historian to

POS postulate his ideas was Vincent Garden child that human beings started

practicing agriculture because they were faced with increasing ecological

pressure ecological pressure following the end of the Ice

Age certain kinds of mammals had started going extinct mammals

large woly mammals these included animals such as

the woly mammoth The Woolly

bison the wly

rhinocerus ETC right and according to Vincent Garden child since these woly mammals were the

chief source of food for the Mesolithic Hunters that is why they had to search for a new source of

food right down since these

represented the main food

source of the Neolithic Hunters

they were forced to look for

a new food source and it was this search which led them

towards agriculture leading them

to agriculture clear here is this much

clear now Garden Child ideas they appear to be logical but they

are also subject to certain criticisms yeah criticism that the extension of these

woly mammals had started much earli earlier it had started as early as the late the uh upper Paleolithic Age when

the Pline had started to end and the onset of Holocene had started right so why was it only in the Neolithic period

that finally human beings uh attained the knowledge of Agriculture why not before this right so write down

the process of the extinction of woly

mammals had been going on for almost

50,000 years that is the Paleolithic

Age when the least to SC started

ending why then did

agriculture emerge in the Neolithic

Age only and why not in the upper Paleolithic Age itself on the basis of this argument

Goden child's hypothesis has been challenged similar explanation hisian that is

Benford that it was not the result of ecological pressure but the result of climate change and population

pressure gu with the end of the Ice Age the polar ice started to melt and what happened to

the sea level it started to increase the coastal shelves which had been exposed now started to recede they became

submerged the coastline began to recede as well and the Coastal Community were forced to migrate from their original

homelands Direction out to the sea or Inland they were forced to migrate Inland

so human beings now the sea level has increased and the

coasts have shrunk this has forced them to migrate Inland and the concentration of people is it going

to increase or decrease it is going to increase the population pressure is going to increase

in this region right the different communities of human beings are going to come into greater

contact with each other there is going to be a great degree of friction leading to conflict also because there is a

conflict for supply of resources and as a result people will be forced to look for new sources of

food new sources of food in agriculture it clear write down bford population

pressure with the end of the great I age with the end of the great Ice Age

comma sea levels began Rising began

rising and Coastal communities and Coastal communities were

forced to migrate Inland resulting in higher population

pressure resulting in higher population pressure next point the available

resources the available resources were not sufficient to sustain this

pressure and humans were forced to begin

Agriculture and humans were forced to begin agriculture

okay next criticism yes pre-agricultural periods me yeah in fact

pre-industrial period maybe human population was it very large it was extremely small so if you have ever seen

any graph which charts human population through the years and centuries you will find that 1800s b a shoot up human

population because it was subsidized by industry before before that the growth of the rate of population was very very

incremental very very slow and around this period 6,000 to 1,000 BC it was extremely low right so in such a

scenario when human population was already so low will the question of population pressure even be

relevant the carrying capacity of the earth and the environment that these people were living in was more than

capable of taking them on of supporting them okay so they had not surpassed the carrying capacity of their lands so this

question itself population pressure emerge that is an invalid one secondly inward migration of people

Inland migration of people is it affecting only selected communities no it is affecting all

communities those communities which are being forced to migrate inwards as well as the original inhabitants of the

Inland region why because they are going to come into contact with new groups then why do we see that

agriculture begins at one point in some cultures and at a very different stage in some other cultures for example in

some cultures it may begin as early as 8,000 or 7,000 BC in other cultures it may begin as late as 2,000

BC pressure exert so it would have been Universal and every Community would would have had to respond otherwise they

would not have been able to survive but we do not see this happening so write the

criticism binford's critics have pointed out that the idea of population

pressure in the prehistoric past is an absurd one is an absurd

one full stop the total human population of the Earth

was a minuscule fraction of the current population a minuscule

fraction of the current population full stop

therefore the question of population pressure does not Arise at

all does not Arise at all population pressure does not Arise at

all okay next point another criticism is

that had population pressure being responsible for the beginning of

agriculture comma then it should have started simultaneously across the

world then it would have started simultaneously across the world first stop

in contrast in contrast we find that it

emerged at different stages in different regions explan G

child Benford G child has pointed to ecological pressure and Binford has pointed to population pressure which

have pushed human beings towards agriculture pull factors push factors push factors were right similarly some

other historians have suggested a combination of different pull factors so some facilitating or positive factors

which allowed human beings to undertake agriculture one of these historians is

brawood what does he say that the big of Agriculture was the result of the combination of

natural human inquisitiveness ecological changes and technological

improvements according to him human beings of this period possessed a great awareness of Nature and the environment

because of their Natural Curiosity their natural inquis positiveness they had acquired a great degree of knowledge and

understanding about the environment and the impact of ecological changes on the environment over several

generations and by this point of time technological improvements had also taken place which allowed them to

capitalize on this knowledge on this uh Wellspring of information to begin agriculture so according according to

Braidwood agriculture was not

simply the result of material

factors but knowledge take Now counter

argument that not Material factors but knowledge was the main factor behind the beginning of agriculture

there exist even today a number of pre-agricultural societies and communities do these communities lack

knowledge of how the environment functions the relationship between plants and

uh animals or plants and human beings No in fact they have a very Advanced understanding of these things are they

unaware of ideas such as the relationship between different stages of a plant's life no they are aware of the

idea that treat germinates from seeds that grasses also germinate from seeds so they are aware of the concept of

seeds and the process of germination right why then have they not started conducting agriculture right knowledge

necessary requirement then these people do possess the knowledge and they should have started agriculture but they still

choose not to do it right that means some other factors are also required and

that as far as the balance

between food availability and demand remains

stable agriculture does not start so necessary

Factor the destruction of this balance the emergence of an imbalance a shortage of food sources that is

necessary B wood according to him according to him the natural

inquisitiveness of human beings coupled with coupled with a higher

understanding of ecological changes accompanied by better

technology better technology of environmental changes of the environment or environmental changes

accompanied by better technology LED towards the

beginning accompanied by better technology LED

towards the beginning of Agriculture we stop in other

words in other words comma the basic requirement of for the beginning of agriculture

the basic requirement for the beginning of Agriculture is

not Material conditions is not Material conditions

but knowledge but knowledge

okay next criticism criticism by

observing contemporary pre-agricultural communities we know

that despite having Advanced knowledge of the environment we know

that despite having Advanced knowledge of the environment comma they do not begin

agriculture they do not begin agriculture till

till the balance between food availability food availability

and demand remains intact remains

intact okay till the balance between food availability and demand remains intact

yeah Braidwood next we have another similar

explanation presented by some more recent historians some other

historians have talked about the existence of

positive feedback systems which facilitated the rise of Agriculture now K positive feedback

systems due to the warmer climate a set of changes was

triggered the ploen ecology was replaced by the holos ecology dominated in the earlier period by grasslands and Wetland

ecology right further

the growing season became shorter or longer longer right War

Prevail where plants could grow that the same time the level of biological production that is going to

increase or decline increase to primary productivity is going to increase wild grass

varieties they are going to explode wild grass species some of these grasses are going to be of special

importance to human beings why because they are grain bearing grasses so

humans human factor introduce humans began

using great in bearing grasses to supplement their

diets right further wild grass varieties thing they

included species such as wheat barley several

millets maze rice

Etc Lan domesticated varieties wild varieties wild varieties J different varieties of domesticated

crops exist different varieties of wild crops also existed

however cross pollination possible right and because of the changing climate the frequency of this cross po pollenization

cross fertilization that is going to increase so nature itself started to conduct a number of genetic experiments

with these wild varieties of grain bearing grasses right

so cross fertilization is going to become more prominent and this is going to result in

the emergence of specific species of these wild varieties which are most suitable for

agriculture which are which have certain desirable qualities for example that the number and size of

grains on these grasses that is going to be much larger and higher that they are going to be resistant to Drought or

flooding or water inundation that they are not going to be flattened by strong winds that they are not going to

rot uh in humid conditions that they are going to be resistance resistant to particular varieties of pests or insects

Etc so these kinds of qualities are going to emerge in some specific wild varieties cross fertilization resulted

in the emergence of some desirable varieties

and human beings who till now had been simply Gathering these grains now began to store them and plant them later

scatter them in the in the on the ground later on and what did they observe that in varieties crops seeds spread other

than rather than the other varieties so they have more food later on right so through a process of trial and error

human beings capitalized upon the positive feedback systems to start cultivation is this

clear due to due to climatic and ecological changes Comm on the grassland

ecology became dominant became dominant full

stop grain bearing grasses grain bearing grasses such as Wheats

millets barley rice Etc

began emerging in the vast grasslands in the vast grasslands

full stop the longer growing season the longer growing

season comma warmer climate warmer climate and higher primary

productivity resulted in resulted in cross

fertilization which yielded which yielded more Ro robust species more robust

species next Point gradually humans began to selectively

store and plant these grains gradually humans began to selectively

store and plant these grains thus resulting in the emergence of Agriculture okay

now while this particular hypothesis has talked about positive feedback systems but they have highlighted the use of

humans also in utilizing these factors there is another set of historians more recent historians who have said that the

beginning of Agriculture was the result of a few happy accidents in which human beings had very little active role to

play because of the changing economic sorry because of the changing climatic and

uh natural and ecological environment because of the changing climate and ecology certain species became extinct

and others were forced to evolve as a result of which evolution is Direction naturally that they became more suitable

for cultivation and domestication human beings had very very little role in selectively breeding them

right next similarly H next Theory

similarly some other Scholars have

suggested that the ongoing climatic

and ecological changes uh resulted in the extinction

of certain species and evolution

of others so that the

surviving species were naturally

amable to domestication cold harsh

climates for example large mammals or small mammals large mammals because they need

to be able to dominate their surroundings and overcome competition for limited food sources so process of

competition makes those animals the fittest or those individuals the fittest which are which are the largest

fastest most most aggressive most fierce on the other hand in the warmer climates what do we find that species cousins

they are going to be much smaller right because they need to be able to conserve their energy they need they the

biological processes are oriented towards greater efficiency rather than dominance right so parameters of being

the fittest change climates and that is the type of change that we are seeing

jungly let us say goats mountain goats in fact two to three me long horns curved onto each

other m i whereas domesticated varieties two three in maximum horns how

do you think this kind of change took place because in the wild environment those mountain goats need to compete

against each other for their territory for sexual partners this kind of competition is not necessary in more

warmer and more abundant climates okay so because of a series of such natural happy accidents uh human beings got

access to varieties or species of plants or animals which were naturally more suitable for domestication so it almost

fell into their lab this is what this particular theory is advocating is this clear sure now out of these five sets of

theories which which of them do you think is the best one to explain the beginning of

Agriculture last one yeah Binford B Fooda your positive feedback

systemsa positive feedback systems in fact all of these theories have some of their own merits

criticism merits the end single Factor responsible the

beginning of the process of food production was a leny and complicated process right it involved the number uh

the combination of a number of factors ecology geography human

system right and it is not necessary that the same set of factors is going to work in the same manner in all these

scenarios right it is in fact going to be a combination of different sets of factors

working in different regions working in different context and working in different time periods to result in the

emergence of Agriculture okay so write down next conclusion on the basis of these

arguments on the basis of these arguments it appears that it appears that

it appears that no single Factor was responsible for the beginning of

Agriculture stop rather rather comma different sets of