Sedentarization

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Sedentarization
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What is it?
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• The image above is a Palaeolithic axe.
• The earliest humans are believed to have started
  in the Palaeolithic era.
• This time period started roughly 2.6 million
  years ago.

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The First Humans

• Early humans were nomadic.
• Nomadic constantly moving in order to find food
  (water).
• These first humans lived off of nature. Their
  food came from hunting and gathering (edible
  plants, nuts, grains).
• These early humans lived in small groups of about
  10-30.
• Whenever they would run out of food in one area
  they would move to another.

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The Fertile Crescent

• Located in the near east, is nicknamed the
  cradle of civilization.
• This means that the first civilizations were
  started in this area.
• This area has a very rich soil mostly due to
  flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
• It also has access to the Persian gulf,
  Mediterranean and Red Seas.

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• The soil in this area was rich in nutrients which
  allowed people to farm.
• The Fertile Crescent incorporates modern day
  Kuwait, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon,
  Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

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Sedentarization Starts

• Between 10 000 and 8 000 BC. Humans began to
  adopt a sedentary lifestyle.
• Sedentary to remain in one place.
• Evidence of sendentarization have been discovered
  all over the world.
• The oldest examples come from an area located in
  the near east the Fertile Crescent

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• It is believed that early humans settled in the
  Fertile Crescent because of its abundance of
  edible plants.
• These people begin to develop tools to harvest
  these plants.
• This area was also home to many different types
  of animals.
• Early humans noticed that many animals came to
  the river banks to feed, drink, and mate.
• This made the animal supply virtually endless.

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Nomadic Life

• Humans are gregarious.
• This means that it is in our nature to live in
  groups.
• The earliest human formed small and simple
  societies, in order to search for food.
• Society a group who lives together over a long
  period of time and develop similar traits.

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• These societies has a vast territory without
  defined boarders.
• They acquired food through hunting (men) and
  gathering (women).
• For example grains and wild fruit or mammoth
• When the food supply in a certain area would
  become depleted, these societies would move to a
  new area.

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Nomadic to Sedentary Life

• Around 8000 BC early humans began to cultivate
  plants.
• This meant that humans did not have to move
  around to look for food.
• How did this happen?
• How did early humans discover agricultural
  practices?
• Unfortunately we do not know for sure but we have
  two hypothesis.

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1st Hypothesis

• Early humans knew where to find wild fruit and
  grains.
• They were also expert hunters and could observe
  animals without alerting them.
• It is possible that early humans observed that
  seeds that were carried by these animals fell on
  the ground, and sprouted.
• After a certain period of time they began to sow
  the seeds themselves.

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2nd Hypothesis

• Early humans would gather fruit and grains.
• They noticed that new plants would grow where
  seeds where left on the ground.
• These groups began to plant seeds themselves.

With both of these hypothesis people began
leaving behind the nomadic lifestyle and adopting
a sedentary way of life.
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Early Agricultural Practices

• With the emergence of farming people did not have
  to constantly move to find food.
• Instead people spent their harvesting crops and
  developing tools to make harvesting easier.
• They developed tools like the hoe, sickle,
  grinder, and rubbing stone.
• They also made baskets and other containers to
  store food.

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First Villages

• The period in which sedentarization occurs is the
  Neolithic period.
• The first villages were located near farmers
  fields.
• These villages were protected by a large stone
  wall.
• Villages held about 100-200 people.
• However, larger villages like Çatal Hüyük did
  appear.

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Çatal Hüyük

• Çatal Hüyük is located in modern day Turkey.
• It is believed that is housed close to 7000
  people.
• It is know for its unique design of
  interconnected square houses.
• Most houses were one room, with a fireplace and a
  ladder to access to door.

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• Many house were decorated with paintings of
  animals. These were called frescos.
• Many Neolithic villages had statues of the mother
  goddess.
• In Neolithic societies a womens fertility was
  worshiped.
• Fertile women meant survival of the group.

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Lifestyle changes during the Neolithic Period

• When people started to farm they also began
  protecting their crops.
• This quickly led to the idea of property and
  ownership.
• This also led to conflict over property and
  ownership of land between different groups.
• Also during this period, population increased.

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• Since people were not constantly moving, many
  were able to concentrate on stating a family.
• With a regular supply of food children could be
  raised properly and in a safe environment.
• With a constant food supply many people became
  craftsmen, since there was no need for so many
  farmers.
• These craftsmen made tools, worked with metals,
  made clothes, baskets, and pots.

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New Social Groups

• In the Nomadic lifestyle men and women had
  different tasks to accomplish.
• This carried over during the first years of
  sedentarization.
• However, as skilled craftsmen emerged this
  developed new social classes.
• This meant that for the first time in history
  people classified by their jobs not by their
  gender.

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Trade

• With the rise of farming there was a surplus
  (extra) of food in Neolithic villages.
• Farmers would trade their surplus for tools,
  baskets, pots, and other services.
• This type of trade was called bartering.
• Some people even became merchants.
• These merchants would bring their goods to far
  away villages in order to trade.

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Politics in Neolithic Villages

• It is presumed that in nomadic societies
  decisions were made by the groups best hunters.
• Since there lives consisted of acquiring food.
• However, Neolithic villages were very different.
• Historians have very little evidence on how a
  Neolithic village was run.

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• We have two possible hypothesis
• 1) Strong Central Authority
• One leader who is advised by close
  family/friends. This leader makes all of the
  decisions.
• 2) Village Council
• A group of village members who make decisions
  together.

What are the pros and cons of each model?
Which model would work better? Why?