Tierney, 7

Caleb Short

10/15/2013

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

When the Neolithic Revolution occurred 10,000 years ago human life
would be forever changed. The Old Stone Age (Palaeolithic) became the New
Stone Age (Neolithic) and in a multitude of separate parts of the world such
as the Middle East and America; humans adopted a new way of life. The
conclusion of the most recent Ice Age created an influx of temperature
changes across the earth and discouraged humans from leading a huntergatherer lifestyle. Many animal species migrated to new areas in order to
survive as their human predators were left to choke down the tears and wave
goodbye to their former meals. The solution? Either settle and develop a new
way of life, or embark upon a treacherous journey to an unknown destination
where their prey newly resided in. Surely the song by British band The
Clash called Should I Stay or Should I Go wouldve been at the top of the
charts in such a stressful time. A few campfire kumbayas later and as some
civilizations left in pursuit of their furry friends, others decided to settle and
make a life for themselves out of the remaining wildlife and newly flourishing
vegetation.
However
the decision wasnt always preferable. As civilizations dispersed, some
communities like the Indians at Dickson Mound chose to stay out of
necessity. Populations were reaching an all-time high and the efficiency of
hunting and gathering had grown doubtful. Farming became the answer. The
average population densities of hunter gatherers were rarely over one
person per ten square miles, while farmers averaged one hundred times
that (Diamond). Hunter gatherer civilizations not only started small, but
failed to grow to the degree of their farming neighbors because mothers
within the nomadic tribes needed to space out their babies. These mothers
would typically bear children once every four years while mothers of
agricultural civilizations bore children once every two years due to no
requirement for feeble children and recovering mothers to keep up with a
traveling group. Frequent babies equal a large population. A large population
equals a higher chance of success against enemies as one healthy hunter
gatherer doesnt faze the likes of one hundred weak farmers. With this lack
of enemies, farming civilizations experienced a prolonged existence.
Populations may have grown, but quality of life most
certainly didnt for farming societies. Farmers consumed a limited spread of
animals from the local area and only a few, starchy, high-carbohydrate,
cheap calorie crops like wheat, rice, and corn; running the risk of starvation
if even one crop were to fail (Diamond). Meanwhile, hunter-gatherers
experienced a continuously changing wild plant and animal buffet. The

Tierney, 7

Caleb Short

10/15/2013

varied diets of hunter-gatherers largely influenced their exceedingly healthier

bodies. Skeletons from Greece and Turkey show that the average height of
hunter-gatherers toward the end of the ice ages was a generous 59 for
men, 55 for women. With the adoption of agriculture, height crashed, and
by 3,000 B.C had reached a low of 53 for men, 5 for women (Diamond).
Also, farmers had a nearly fifty percent increase in enamel defects
indicative of malnutrition, a fourfold increase in iron-deficiency anemia, a
threefold rise in bone lesions reflecting infectious disease in general, and an
increase in degenerative birth conditions of the spine, probably reflecting a
lot of hard physical labor (Diamond). Farmers clearly possessed more
physical ailments, leading to a shorter life. Life expectancy at birth in the
pre-agricultural community was about twenty-six years, but in post
agricultural community it was nineteen years (Diamond).
Hunter gatherers may have won in the battle of healthy lifestyles, but
Jared Diamond makes the point that at the dawn of the Neolithic Revolution
farming civilizations traded quality for quantity. Scientific studies surrounding
the physical attributes of farmers and their hunter-gatherer predecessors
prove that hunter-gatherers were much healthier; leading to what many
would assume to be a better life. Yet, the Indians at Dickson Mound
exemplify the simple fact that a large population must settle in order to
survive. Therefore, despite the downfalls, agricultural life was the next
necessary step in the social evolution and survival of the human race.