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From Foraging To Farming: Explaining The Neolithic Revolution
Author(s) -
Weisdorf Jacob L.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of economic surveys
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.657
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1467-6419
pISSN - 0950-0804
DOI - 10.1111/j.0950-0804.2005.00259.x
Subject(s) - agriculture , civilization , agricultural revolution , prehistory , industrialisation , foraging , foundation (evidence) , economics , niche construction , economy , archaeology , history , ecology , market economy , biology
. This article reviews the main theories about the prehistoric shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture. The transition, also known as the Neolithic Revolution, was ultimately necessary to the rise of modern civilization by creating the foundation for the later process of industrialization and sustained economic growth. The article 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 put forth in the economic literature.