Lecture 7. The Agro-Pastoral Village World

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Mark Jarzombek


from the module:

First Societies

This lecture is dedicated to agro-pastoralism, where agriculture and pastoral traditions blend into a single village-based worldview. Pastoralism and agro-pastoralism develop more or less at the same time, but in different eco-landscapes. The emergence of agro-pastoralism begins around 9,000 BCE and involves the concentration of energy around a single set of plants. Whereas First Society people used many plants in various ways, agriculturalists began to elevate one or two above all others. This can be described as grain-centrism, the consequences of which for the social and spiritual world were enormous. The emphasis of worship began to shift from ancestors to deified plants – gods that lived ‘to be eaten.’ Göbekli Tepe must have played a role in this since it is situated at the very heart of the revolution of spiritual sensibilities between the 10th and 8th millennium BCE. Though excavations are not finished, it certainly was one of the most important ceremonial and ritual centers of the age. People must have come from long distances to participate in events here. As settled society matured, so did its physical structures. Çatal Hüyük played was close to an important source of obsidian, needed for sickle blades. Obsidian intensified grain production and specialization, creating the need for grain storage and protection. At the conclusion of the lecture I discuss the general parameters of a village. Village Worlds once constituted a huge portion of global worldview. This is increasingly under threat with the growth of cities national interests.

supporting documents:

Handout

Lecture Notes

Quiz with Answers

Quiz with Answers