Western Civilazation. The Agrarian Revolution - Essay Example

? (Task) Western Civilization Introduction Hunting and gathering was the way of life of the ancestral human beings. The people that practiced this livelihood hunted down wild animals for food and other basic commodities. They also collected nuts and seeds, which they seeds for food. The activities of the ancestral man included inventing tools that they would use to hunt down effectively wild animals. They also used most of their time to look for areas that wild animals frequently passed or stayed. The organization of the society was not complex as their daily normal activities were exceedingly simple. The organization of people in the hunting and gathering period includes small groups of people like one to ten people in a group (Pouwels & Randall 79). However, these groups increased when food was abundant, and the climate was good to nearly a hundred people in a group. They moved frequently in search of the wild animals and crops. The shelters of people practicing hunting and gathering consisted of temporary shelters or caves safe from the dangers of the night and adverse weather conditions. Gathering started before hunting whereby the people organized in small groups could collect nuts and fruits that fell from trees. They could also collect eggs from large birds and other animals hidden in different places on the ground. With time gathering could not substantially accommodate the daily needs of the people. The foods they collected would be so little at times to fit their small groups. This is when they then decided to hunt down wild animals for food. The men who practiced hunting and gathering were the Homo erectus who had a lot of similitude to the modern man (Biesel & Schweitzer 17). This is in terms of their brain development and stature. They used other products of the animals they killed apart from the flesh, which they ate as food. They used the skin of the wild animals to make cloths that protected them from the harsh weather especially at night. They used other animal products like the horns to make weapons, which they used to kill other animals. Man started to develop the way in which he hunted the wild animals. This happened when they started hunting a particular group of wild animals. By observing their speed and strength, they were able to invent tools that would effectively put them down. This includes tool like the bows and arrows, spears, fishing nets that would increase the number of fish that they could catch. The people also started to concentrate on certain plants that they collected and used for food. By doing this, they also came up with tools to make their gathering of the fruits or seeds easier. Agrarian revolution was the time in history when man started practicing agriculture as a way of sustaining their livelihood (Turne & Maryanski 76.). This happened when man began planting the crops that they had been collecting so that they could have access of it at any time (Rosen 159). It was the time when many people stopped hunting-gathering and embraced planting to get food and other basic commodities. During this period, not only did the source of food of the people change but also the societal organization changed. When in the hunting and gathering times, people used to stay in small groups. However, during the agrarian revolution, people had to organize themselves in complex systems (Herrman & Benzing 136). This then led to the drastic change in the environment where people lived. Towns and villages sprang up, and people used land that was usually bare to plant different types of crops. This thus led to organized political systems where people chose dominant leaders to lead others. The culture and the art world also changed as the culture and practices of the community changed. Language also improved significantly, as people had to communicate more in the agrarian setting than in the hunting and gathering settings. This is because people had to relate more to ensure that the activities they carried out worked well and in an organized manner. This was unlike the agrarian times when people did not need to communicate a lot as they collected foods or hunting the wild animals. I believe that man developed from hunting and gathering life to the agrarian because of the intellectual development of man in relation to his environment. In the hunting and gathering period, man did not know that he could domesticate animals and inevitably reduce the great hustle of hunting. Again, man did not have the knowledge that they could plant the seeds and grow plants and crops that could act as a source of food (Liebman 36). Therefore, as time went by man was able to know the different crops that he would be able to grow. He also realized the types of animals he could domesticate, and the different methods he could use to domesticate them. These animals included the dogs that guided them during the night, and took care of other animals like the sheep in the farm. The plants that man used in their farms are like corn and rice that people used as a source of food, and also and sell them and get money to buy other basic commodities. Moreover, man developed to the Neolithic period because they realized that they could keep the animals and plants without having to travel long days to look for the same animals and plants. Man saw that they could live in one area with favorable climate, and still be able to access the animals and plants that they preferred. This meant that less people died because of the attack of the wild animals that they hunted. It also meant that they would have food all the time even in the seasons when the wild animals had migrated to other areas. Culturally, people had developed, and this led to the bigger organizations of people. This means that they could either move together as a big group or settle down and live together. Therefore, this meant that they had to look for means to sustain their lives, and still be able to live together. This would lead to the domestication of animals and planting of crops for the provision of food (Rosen 159). Moving from a hunting gathering to agrarian was very beneficial to man. This is because man was able to collect a large amount of food produce from the crops he planted. This was much more that he could ever get from gathering. Man was also able to come up with different methods that he used to conserve the large amount of produce that he collected. This means that he had sustainable food for a long period than if he practiced hunting and gathering. The agrarian revolution also led to specialization in other professions apart from planting or hunting. This includes architecture and tradesmen that came up from the increased produce and development of entertainment and art (Spencer & Barnard 437). This thus means that the art world also developed significantly, as people had more time dedicated to making different pieces of artwork. People had a way of relaxing better. The instruments used to play music developed and people created beautiful music that spoke of the culture and the people. This thus means that the human population also increased because there was sufficient food to sustain life. Again, the dangers that comes with the hunting of wild animals and living in areas with hostile climate is also reduced. A family could thus be able to have more children as they could guide them and provide for them effectively. This then led to the growth of different classes and groups of people like nobles and the middle class people. The Agrarian revolution also led to the invention and development of different tools and machines. This was because of the need to come up with ways to ease the great labor needed in the farms. They also developed different farming methods and crops that could increase the quality of the crops. The crop rotation is an example of farming method development that ensures that the farms are not overused and lose their fertility (Sinclai & Janas 9). They also developed different crops like the potatoes to feed the domesticated animals during the winter periods. Conclusion Hunting and gathering included the collection of food like nuts and seeds, which people used to sustain their lives. In hunting, people chased after wild animals and slaughtered them for food. The organization of the people was very simple because the needs of people were also not a lot. With time, people had greater needs of food and other things like shelter and security. This thus led to the agrarian revolution where people got more food from the crops and animals domesticate. Other professions like architecture came up, and the inventions of tools took place. Works Cited Biesel, Megan, and Schweitzer, Peter. Hunters and Gatherers in the Modern World: Conflict, Resistance. Oxford: Breghahn Publisher, 2000. Print. Herrman, Bernd, and Benzing, Brigitta. Exploitation and Overexploitation in Societies Past and Present. Lit Verlag Publisher, 2003. Print. Liebman, Dave. Hunters and Gatherers. New York: Double-Time Records, 2000. Print. Pouwels, Randall, and Adler, Philip. World Civilizations: To 1700. New York: Cengage Lerning, 2011. Print. Rosen, Clarence. World Resources 2000-2001: People and Ecosystems ; the Fraying Web of Life. New York: Elsevier Publisher, 2000. Print. Sinclai, Carol, and Janas, Thomas. Bread, Beer and the Seeds of Change: Agriculture's Impact on World History. Jersey: CABI Publisher, 2010. Print. Spencer, Jonathan, and Barnard, Alan. Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology. New York: Taylor and Francis, 2002. Print. Turne, Jonathan, and Maryanski, Alexandra. The Social Cage: Human Nature and the Evolution of Society. New York: Stanford Publisher, 1996. Print. Read More