[Homestead] great die-off

Don Bowen don.bowen at earthlink.net
Tue Oct 5 12:01:46 EDT 2004


At 10/5/2004, you wrote:
>Before 10,000 years ago, how large - and permanent -
>was/were the land areas humans devoted to agriculture
>and defended *from animals* other than other humans ?

Before about 10,000 years ago very little land was set aside permanently 
for crops.  Some tribes may have set aside small plots but most food was 
obtained through hunting and gathering.  Large game animals may have 
provided a huge burst of protein at once but they were hard to hunt and 
required cooperation.  Large carnivores on the other hand were a threat to 
survival and determined efforts were made to hunt and kill them.

About 10,000 years ago population and climate change pressures pushed some 
middle eastern tribes to grow more food.  This gradually lead to a full 
blown agriculture society and later to armies and priests, the most 
destructive of mans inventions.  In the Americas agriculture is much newer, 
starting only about 5000 years ago in Meso America.

Don Bowen
Awl Knotted Up Woodworking
Valley Center, CA             http://www.braingarage.com




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