Societies {horticultural society} cultivated plants. Simple ones used no plow and no iron and had no metallurgy. Horticultural societies began 9000 years ago. In simple horticultural societies, root crops grew around village. Villages did not link families or businesses, but they had trade and crafts.
Metal use began 6000 years ago. Horticultural societies usually did leather work and pottery, used seals, knew glazing, knew fermentation, and started orchards. Starting in late Neolithic times, horticultural societies had cattle, pigs, and ornaments.
villages
Villages had 100 to 300 people in communities and up to 6000 in villages. At first, villages had no defenses or walls, because wars were few.
classes
Positions were headman, chief, or shaman. Status depended on position, military skill, age, speaking ability, kin, and wealth. Strong class system was in advanced horticultural societies. Rulers had some power. War was intermittent. Advanced horticultural societies developed feudalism with two classes. One had warriors, priests, and nobles.
Warriors ruled society. Central authority developed, with administration and judges. Leaders favored their extended family and retained men with no family to serve them. King's brothers often revolted.
Priests controlled planting and harvest times. Only priests were literate and kept records.
Nobility was typically hereditary. The largest families became more powerful, as they accumulated wealth by taking most agricultural surplus, grew in number of men and retainers, had more children through polygyny, allied with or conquered lesser families, and learned ways to avoid revolts, feuds, and revenge.
law
Laws and private property existed.
war
Land became scarcer as groups grew and impinged on each other. War increased and led to war trophies, war poets, war singers, warrior cults, and ceremonial cannibalism. Confederations for defense began.
slaves
Simple horticulturists rarely had slaves. Advanced horticulturists often had slaves.
kinship
Kinship patterns were often through mother's relatives, because women cultivated. Kinship protected people from enemies, provided power for revenge, and organized economy.
gender
Men took several wives. Men had little to do, because women performed cultivation. Making weapons, making tools, politics, religion, and art were male activities. Collecting and preparing vegetables and caring for children were female activities.
games
Horticulturists had games of physical skill.
religion
Simple horticulturists did not have one God but had a main god. Advanced horticulturists usually believed in one god, who was not active in human life.
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Date Modified: 2022.0224