The Agricultural Revolution (Summer Assignment Post 3)
Determining the origins, length, and stories of our human existence will undoubtedly spark intense disagreements. To find our origins you will have to cross a variety of platforms or beliefs. Some claim that we were all part of a cosmic bang, matter thrown across the universe landing in the perfect location for life. Many claim that our human life is an evolution of an earlier life form, constantly fighting to survive amidst great competition. Others believe that our life was not a random occurrence but the perfect creation of a divine being, or in the very least, something supernatural.
Regardless of the starting point, solid archaeological evidence suggests that humans began to settle into complex agricultural societies around the year 8000 BCE (Modern history uses the chronological designations "BCE" and "CE" to replace BC and AD, both designations use the same year 0 as a central point of reference. 2014 CE is the same as 2014 AD). These civilizations mastered the art of irrigation to make lands on the banks of the Nile, Indus, Tigris, Euphrates, and Yellow Rivers ripe for agriculture. Soon after, cultures would develop several features that we commonly identify as the key parts of civilization: Government, Social Structure, Communication, Economic Specialization, Religion, and Art.
Watch the video from Crash Course: World History titled Agricultural Revolution posted above. As you watch, think about the most important changes (positive or negative) that occurred as a result of humans settling into agricultural societies. Once finished, reply to this post and answer one of the following questions in a thorough response:
Do you feel that settled society was a natural consequence of being human? In other words, are humans naturally wired to want to live in community with others? Or, do we function better on our own? (What evidence can you cite that supports your claim)
What do you think was the most remarkable technological advancement of the Agricultural (Neolithic) Revolution and what do you think drove humans to create those inventions.
Remember, you only need to answer one.
Psychologist Abraham Maslow postulated that community is indeed one of the primary human needs. I believe that all people, no matter how introverted, need the love and recognition that come from those around them. Generally, humans judge themselves based on their effects on others. In a dark example, many cases of suicide come from a feeling of worthlessness to the community. In another case, the desire to succeed and pave new ground is often so that others can see and congratulate.
ReplyDeleteBeyond all this, living in groups creates group strength. A community can protect and feed its members through teamwork. From the beginning of one's life, closely guarded by both parents and often siblings, humans are born into community and thus come to depend on it.
I love that you brought up Maslow's hierarchy. I think that community speaks to the most basic need of humanity which is Safety or Security. Once people found that security in numbers. Then they can go on to achieve great feats!
DeleteAbraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs states that "Love and Belonging" is a necessity of all animals, including humans. While it is not the base necessity of animals it is still an important factor in our survival. I personally believe that humans do group together because it provides safety and benefits. While one person can only carry so many items or be able to perform so many tasks, a group can split up the burden of carrying supplies and performing tasks.
ReplyDeleteBefore people began to settle into small communities, they roamed, and when they roamed they had to fight off other predators that they encountered. These predators sometimes fought in packs, or even when alone, could easily kill a human, but when grouped together humans could fend off these other predators with better chances of survival.
We used to hunt some pretty big animals too! Not exactly the type of animals you would want to meet one on one in a cage match!
DeleteBeing "settled" is of course natural to humans. Evolutionarily speaking, species with social or even societal aspects tend to fare far better than those that don't; for example, Dolphins. As the greatest faring species on the planet, it's no wonder we've become hard-wired to live in a civil society. You could even argue it's a trait we've evolved or developed as our history has gone on.
ReplyDeleteHumans do not function well as "lone wolves", as it were. We often hear stories of people going crazy after spending too much time alone in the wilderness. There's a reason for that: we are social animals. It's easy to see that when it comes to humanity, a society is simply inevitable. There's even a theory out there that claims humans effectively domesticated themselves by forming social groups.
Self-Domestication, I just googled it and you are right! I have never heard that theory before. It is weird to think of ourselves as "wild".
DeleteBeing "settled" is of course natural to humans. Evolutionarily speaking, species with social or even societal aspects tend to fare far better than those that don't; for example, Dolphins. As the greatest faring species on the planet, it's no wonder we've become hard-wired to live in a civil society. You could even argue it's a trait we've evolved or developed as our history has gone on.
ReplyDeleteHumans do not function well as "lone wolves", as it were. We often hear stories of people going crazy after spending too much time alone in the wilderness. There's a reason for that: we are social animals. It's easy to see that when it comes to humanity, a society is simply inevitable. There's even a theory out there that claims humans effectively domesticated themselves by forming social groups.
Humanity is formed around community, going from family to nations. While we have benefits from grouping, we also fill the need for companionship. Humans aren't meant to be alone, we need someone there to encourage us and have shared experiences with. Being alone puts humans in a poor mental state, and it's not just being alone that's important. It's the emotional support that comes with, just being there isn't enough for people, it takes people with shared moments, such as friends or family. So not only do we get physical benefits from community, but we also get mental benefits.
ReplyDeleteVery true. Humans do very weird things when we are left alone. I agree that it is a definitely a sign that we are meant to live in community, like schools of fish!
ReplyDelete2. I think the most remarkable technological advancement of the Agricultural (Neolithic) Revolution was the invention of the irrigation system. I think the need for watering their crops made humans create this invention. They needed this invention in case of a drought or if it had been awhile since it had rained and they need to water their crops because farming is how they made their living and they needed to make sure they had good crops. The irrigation system is also needed to water the crops because without crops they can't eat.
ReplyDeleteI believe that settled communities were inevitable. Not only do people havve a natural longing to be in community with one another, it would just be impossible to avoid as the population grew. By living in a group it allows for more people to be fed and better technology to be developed by those who can't provide the food. Unfortunately, with multiple different societies, the give and take isn't equal. Some groups get way more than their fair share while others starve. Because of this greediness there is an imbalance and the environment is bearing the weight.
ReplyDeleteI think humans living in a comunity was natural and destined to happen because the advancement of agriculture came naturally . Excluding the differences in society it was almost as if humanity fell into to place after time. But also with agriculture bad things came like less natural resources and other things but in the long run it was stable.
ReplyDeleteI think humans are naturally drawn to a community like structure. From the beginning, people grouped up into tribes. Those tribes were made up of hunters and gathers. They needed each other in order to live, farm and to efficiently kill animals so they could eat them. Agriculture just made it easier to live in a bigger community. With enough food from the farms to sustain everyone in a large village, people settled down into their homes. Trading also occurred because of this and it was that longing of connection to a community to help yourself and others move along.
ReplyDelete