----- Original Message -----
From: "jdcroft" <jdcroft@...>
To: <nostratic@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2002 1:38 PM
Subject: [nostratic] Re: Problems with Bomhard


[John]
> Full-time farming seems to have been not so much an improvement in
> many areas of the world as a reduction in quality of life and living
> standards. As a result we find that it seems to have occurred
> everywhere associated with increased environmental pressure - either
> from increased dessication as a result of a worstening environment, or
> as a result of increased population pressure on the carrying capacity
> of the natural environment, and, according to grave anaylses, with
> increased levels of malnutrition and falling life expectancy.

[Alexander]
Yes, I agree.
Farming initially was not a way to prosper, rather it was a way to avoid
dying out. (But there was a highly important by-effect: a dramatical
increase of the population density)
In eyes of hunter-gatherers there was nothing to envy in the early farmers
way of life.
That's why I don't believe in adopting farming technology from alien
neighbours as a way of spreading agriculture on new territories (at least in
Neolithic).


[J]
> It is interesting that the growth of "gardening" in Australasia is
> associated with the dependence upon fishing activities. Fishing
> activities, because of the bounty of the sea, can encourage permanent
> year round settlement, and would lead to a rapid depletion of native
> plant foods, unless some kind of cultivation were practiced.
[A]
An interesting thought. Look, in Sahara we find first harpoons and pottery
(therefore permanent settlements) and soon after this domesticated cattle
and local specific cereals. Your mechanism works here?
On the other hand, fishing, especially sea fishing (and sea hunting) is
almost the only way to resist farmers' expansion, because fishing can
provide enough high population density. However rather local.

The connection "fishing > pottery" looks even more direct than "fishing >
farming". The centres of independent invention of clay pottery seem to be
associated with sea or large lake shores: Jomon culture, Central Sahara,
Beldibi, Lower Amazon.

[J]
> By 12,000 BP gardener-hunting had spread into the highlands, as the
> draining ditches found in swamps at Kuk in the Western Highlands show.
[A]
Golson and Hughes estimated the date as 9,000 BP.
Has this figure been reviewed?


[J]
> The appearance of a separate Vavilhov zone for a
> range of cultivars in Northern Australia, ...
[A]
I have never heard about a Vavilov zone in Australia.
Can you give a reference, please.


[J]
> Hope this helps
[A]
It does. Much.
Thank you.


[J]
> Either way, this is fascinating (and very new) material that promises
> to cause a minor revolution in thinking about the development of
> agriculture.

[A]
Yes, and the American material (particularly, cassava breeding) could be
useful here as well.

Alexander