From Foraging to Farming: Explaining the Neolithic Revolution

Jacob Weisdorf

No 03-41, Discussion Papers from University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics

Abstract: This paper reviews the main theories and evidence regarding the prehistoric shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture, an event which took place for the first time some 10,000 years ago. The transition, which is also known as the Neolithic Revolution, led to the rise of civilisation as we know it, and seems to have borne the seeds for the later process of industrialisation and for economic growth in general. The paper provides a brief historical survey of the leading hypotheses concerning the rise of agriculture proposed in the archaeological and anthropological literature. It then turns to a more detailed review of the theories proposed in the economic literature.

Keywords: agriculture; hunting-gathering; neolithic revolution; transition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N50 O30 Q10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 29 pages
Date: 2003-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-com and nep-his
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (34)

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Related works:
Journal Article: From Foraging To Farming: Explaining The Neolithic Revolution (2005)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kud:kuiedp:0341

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