Post-harvest intensification in Late Pleistocene Southwest Asia : plant food processing as a critical variable in Epipalaeolithic subsistence and subsistence change
The objective of this dissertation is to investigate how developments in post-harvest systems may have influenced hunter-gatherer subsistence change during the Epipalaeolithic (23,970-11,990 14C yr BP cal) of Southwest Asia. The term post-harvest system, as it is used here, refers to the knowledge, technology and co-ordination of labour that are necessary to convert raw plants into edible products and/or storable yields. It is argued that post-harvest systems promote increased abundance in four ways: i) permitting a wider variety of plants or plant parts to be added to the diet ii) transforming a single plant part into several forms of food iii) producing physical or chemical changes that improve the nutrient value and iv) reducing spoilage and/or transforming seasonally available resources into to year-round staple foods. Moreover, it is argued that the development of post-harvest systems entailed more than simple increase: that it transformed hunter-gatherer productive systems. A schematic model is presented to illustrate how developments in post-harvest systems would be expected to transform hunter-gatherer production systems. The links between food processing intensification and resource selection, during
Wollstonecroft, Michele M.
Post-harvest intensification in Late Pleistocene Southwest Asia : plant food processing as a critical variable in Epipalaeolithic subsistence and subsistence change. The objective of this dissertation is to investigate how developments in post-harvest systems may have influenced hunter-gatherer subsistence change during the Epipalaeolithic (23,970-11,990 14C yr BP cal) of Southwest Asia. The term post-harvest system, as it is used here, refers to the knowledge, technology and co-ordination of labour that are necessary to convert raw plants into edible products and/or storable yields. It is argued that post-harvest systems promote increased abundance in four ways: i) permitting a wider variety of plants or plant parts to be added to the diet ii) transforming a single plant part into several forms of food iii) producing physical or chemical changes that improve the nutrient value and iv) reducing spoilage and/or transforming seasonally available resources into to year-round staple foods. Moreover, it is argued that the development of post-harvest systems entailed more than simple increase: that it transformed hunter-gatherer productive systems. A schematic model is presented to illustrate how developments in post-harvest systems would be expected to transform hunter-gatherer production systems. The links between food processing intensification and resource selection, during
post harvest intensification late_pleistocene southwest_asia plant_food process critical variable epipalaeolithic subsistence subsistence_change objective investigate development post harvest system may_influence hunter_gatherer subsistence_change epipalaeolithic cal southwest_asia term post harvest system use refers knowledge technology co_ordination labour necessary convert raw plant product and yield argue post harvest system promote increased abundance way permit wide_variety plant plant part add diet transform single plant part several form food iii produce physical_chemical change improve nutrient value reduce and transform seasonally available resource year_round staple food moreover_argue development post harvest system entail simple increase transformed hunter_gatherer productive system schematic model present illustrate development post harvest system would expect transform hunter_gatherer production system link food processing intensification resource selection