Comments on: The Nile Valley’s first farmers and bottlenecks http://armchairprehistory.com/2010/02/25/the-nile-valley%e2%80%99s-first-farmers-and-bottlenecks/ Some thoughts on human nature, past and present Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:40:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Edward Peglerhttp://armchairprehistory.com/2010/02/25/the-nile-valley%e2%80%99s-first-farmers-and-bottlenecks/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Edward Pegler Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:11:27 +0000 http://armchairprehistory.com/?p=181#comment-8 Dear DaveThanks for your positive comments. Nice to see other people thinking in similar terms.Edward Dear Dave

Thanks for your positive comments. Nice to see other people thinking in similar terms.

Edward

]]> By: Edward Peglerhttp://armchairprehistory.com/2010/02/25/the-nile-valley%e2%80%99s-first-farmers-and-bottlenecks/comment-page-1/#comment-7 Edward Pegler Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:10:31 +0000 http://armchairprehistory.com/?p=181#comment-7 Dear DanielFair point, and I think as an individual case it doesn't argue against it. Certainly there are many interpretations which can be justified on the current evidence.Thanks for the link by the way.Edward Dear Daniel

Fair point, and I think as an individual case it doesn’t argue against it. Certainly there are many interpretations which can be justified on the current evidence.

Thanks for the link by the way.

Edward

]]> By: danielhttp://armchairprehistory.com/2010/02/25/the-nile-valley%e2%80%99s-first-farmers-and-bottlenecks/comment-page-1/#comment-6 daniel Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:22:21 +0000 http://armchairprehistory.com/?p=181#comment-6 A well thought through and researched article. The two arguments you put forward would not have to be mutually exclusive.In any case I would expect there to be evidence of agriculture in the valley before this, but maybe it was limited and because of the constant flooding it is just not there anymore. The violent flooding of the Nile doesn't provide much of a reason to there not being any farming I would have thought, but I do not know what evidence is used to support that claim. While I agree with your hypothesis I don't agree that no farming before 4000BC in the Nile can be used to argue against Demic Diffusion, that seems a step to far. A well thought through and researched article. The two arguments you put forward would not have to be mutually exclusive.

In any case I would expect there to be evidence of agriculture in the valley before this, but maybe it was limited and because of the constant flooding it is just not there anymore. The violent flooding of the Nile doesn’t provide much of a reason to there not being any farming I would have thought, but I do not know what evidence is used to support that claim. While I agree with your hypothesis I don’t agree that no farming before 4000BC in the Nile can be used to argue against Demic Diffusion, that seems a step to far.

]]> By: Dave Robertshttp://armchairprehistory.com/2010/02/25/the-nile-valley%e2%80%99s-first-farmers-and-bottlenecks/comment-page-1/#comment-5 Dave Roberts Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:06:22 +0000 http://armchairprehistory.com/?p=181#comment-5 An excellent article. I totally agree. I would argue that agriculture should not be perceived as the great cultural and technical 'achievement' it is usually described as.... but rather as a pragmatic, practical and perhaps the only workable solution to population pressures whether or not caused by climate change. A million years or more of purposeful human wandering (which humanity is very well physically and psychologically suited to) would have been very difficult to abandon and indeed would not have been abandoned without compelling reason.Necessity is indeed the mother of invention but it is also the father of change and evolution. If the Sahara had remained rainy indefinitely then the inhabitants would not have taken to agriculture even if farmers from the fertile crescent had dumped the seeds in their lap!The Pharaonic emblems of Bull's Tail, Crook and Flail which lasted from early pre-Dynastic times throughout Pharaonic history shout loudly at us down the centuries that the Ancient Egyptians themselves were well aware of their origins as livestock herders and drovers. An excellent article. I totally agree. I would argue that agriculture should not be perceived as the great cultural and technical ‘achievement’ it is usually described as…. but rather as a pragmatic, practical and perhaps the only workable solution to population pressures whether or not caused by climate change. A million years or more of purposeful human wandering (which humanity is very well physically and psychologically suited to) would have been very difficult to abandon and indeed would not have been abandoned without compelling reason.

Necessity is indeed the mother of invention but it is also the father of change and evolution. If the Sahara had remained rainy indefinitely then the inhabitants would not have taken to agriculture even if farmers from the fertile crescent had dumped the seeds in their lap!

The Pharaonic emblems of Bull’s Tail, Crook and Flail which lasted from early pre-Dynastic times throughout Pharaonic history shout loudly at us down the centuries that the Ancient Egyptians themselves were well aware of their origins as livestock herders and drovers.

]]> By: Why did agriculture not start in the Nile Valley earlier? | belteshazzar.comhttp://armchairprehistory.com/2010/02/25/the-nile-valley%e2%80%99s-first-farmers-and-bottlenecks/comment-page-1/#comment-4 Why did agriculture not start in the Nile Valley earlier? | belteshazzar.com Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:38:27 +0000 http://armchairprehistory.com/?p=181#comment-4 [...] Edward Pegler in his new* blog “Armchair Prehistory” discusses some ideas about why agriculture started in the Fertile Cresent ~8500BC but not in the Nile Valley until ~4000BC even though people are known to have inhabited the area and used the Nile for trade. Find the article here. [...] [...] Edward Pegler in his new* blog “Armchair Prehistory” discusses some ideas about why agriculture started in the Fertile Cresent ~8500BC but not in the Nile Valley until ~4000BC even though people are known to have inhabited the area and used the Nile for trade. Find the article here. [...]

]]> By: danielhttp://armchairprehistory.com/2010/02/25/the-nile-valley%e2%80%99s-first-farmers-and-bottlenecks/comment-page-1/#comment-3 daniel Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:31:35 +0000 http://armchairprehistory.com/?p=181#comment-3 very interesting article, i'm going to enjoying following your blog, keep up the thought provoking work very interesting article, i’m going to enjoying following your blog, keep up the thought provoking work

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