Economic Organization on the Eve of Agriculture

Ola Olsson ()
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Ola Olsson: University of Gothenburg

Chapter 7 in Paleoeconomics, 2024, pp 149-167 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract In this chapter, I first reflect on the state of humanity at the end of the Pleistocene right before the onset of agriculture. I review the basic physiology and household organization of the groups of H. sapiens that had populated all the major continents around 15 kya. I consider height differentials across groups and between men and women (dimorphism), the sexual division of labor, and the institutions of marriage. Judging by the contemporary anthropological record, hunting-gathering subsistence strategies and population density varied enormously across regions depending on climate and habitat characteristics. I then discuss evidence on the intensified use of certain plants and animals and the case for a broad spectrum revolution. Lastly, I present the implications of the abrupt climatic swings Bölling-Alleröd and the Younger Dryas that preceded the Holocene.

Keywords: Obstetric dilemma; Height differentials; Sexual division of labor; Marriage institutions; Fertility; Population density; Subsistence strategies; Broad spectrum revolution; Younger Dryas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-031-52784-5_7

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-52784-5_7

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