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Crosslistings: ARCP 250 |
Almost all humans today derive their sustenance, directly or indirectly, from agriculture, but for over 90% of the existence of Homo sapiens, people subsisted by hunting and gathering, fishing, and gardening. We tend to think of hunter/gatherers as living like the "Bushmen" of the Kalahari of southern Africa, Australian Aborigines, or the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic. Ethnographic accounts of these and other peoples give us some insight into the hunter/gatherer way of life, but they describe populations existing in marginal environments. The hunter/gatherer/fisher/gardeners of the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods of prehistory inhabited environmentally rich river valleys, lakeshores, and coastal areas in temperate and tropical climates. They were characterized by higher population densities, more productive economies, greater intensity of material production, and more complex regional social interaction. Using primarily archaeological sources, supplemented by ethnographic descriptions, the course will explore this "lost" period of human existence.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS ANTH Grading Mode: Graded
Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.
Last Updated on MAR-21-2005
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