Discuss the changes and continuities in agriculture during the Early Historic Period. Illustrate the impact of technological advancements, societal structures, and trade on agricultural practices.
The Early Historic Period saw significant changes and continuities in agriculture. People began farming at different times in different parts of the world. Around 8500 BCE, hunter-gatherers in the area of southwest Asia known as the Fertile Crescent began to cultivate wild grains and domesticate animals. One thousand years later, people in northern and southern China were growing rice and millet and raising pigs. Archeological evidence shows that crops were planted in Central America as early as 7000 BCE, and around 3500 BCE in the Andes mountains and Amazon river basin of South America. Farmers in Africa began growing crops around 5000 BCE.
The shift from hunting and gathering to farming was a gradual process that happened 10,000 years ago in some parts of the world, 5,000 years ago in others, and never in still others. These disparities are due not to human differences from place to place, but to differences in indigenous plants and animals and local climate and geography. For the thousands of years before plants and animals were domesticated, people roved in small bands, foraging for enough food to stay alive. Because of the abundance of wild foods in the Fertile Crescent, hunter-gatherers settled there permanently. They progressed from gathering wild grains to planting them, choosing seeds from plants with the most desirable characteristics. Their first crops were emmer wheat and barley, which were high in protein and easy to domesticate compared to plants native to other parts of the world. Cultivated emmer wheat, for example, is very similar to its wild ancestor, while it took thousands of years for modern corn to evolve from its half-inch-long ancestor.
As agriculture evolved in these locations, so did the social, economic, and cultural practices that led to what is known as civilization. The Agricultural Revolution had a profound impact on early human societies. It led to the establishment of permanent settlements, growth of populations, and the emergence of social hierarchies. It also allowed for specialization in various roles, like farming, trade, and craftsmanship.