Many historical facts indicate the origin of man from animals. Even 2 million years ago, he began to stand out among his own kind of upright posture, perfecting his hands and brain. Constant changes have occurred in the field of food production. One of the ways to ensure subsistence was through appropriation. What it is and what it led to is described in this article.
What is an appropriating holding?
The appropriating economy is a type of activity of a primitive man, which is characterized by the appropriation of all the gifts of nature to maintain existence. Mankind was engaged in it in the Paleolithic era. Then the population was still insignificant; there were no problems with means of subsistence. People took everything they could from nature, and that was fair. After all, she provided her fruits, and the man gathered them.
How did the appropriation economy come about?
According to Darwin's theory, mankind borrowed gathering and hunting from animals. Guided by natural needs, people used an appropriating economy. This is confirmed by many excavations and historical facts. But no matter how the first people are compared with animals, a person has never appropriated natural wealth "with his bare hands."
According to historical documents, even at the very early stages of its existence, mankind came up with various tools that would simplify everyday life. For example, ancient Africans split stones in such a way as to obtain sharp edges for quick dismemberment of the carcasses of dead game. Over time, people invented ever new household items and learned how to use natural resources for living needs. They even had needles to craft clothes from the skins of dead animals.
For quite a long time, all the tribes and peoples led the appropriating economy. A manufacturing economy arose only V thousand years BC. e.
Features of the activity
Scientists have identified many important features that the appropriating farm possessed. This type of economy is characterized by the following features:
- collective activity;
- its management by all inhabitants of the tribe, therefore, all appropriation is divided equally;
- people and nature are equally dependent;
- only stone tools are used for appropriation;
- the development of technological progress, albeit at a slow pace;
- differentiation of labor by age and gender.
Assignment Types
There are several industries that are part of the appropriating economy. This is gathering, fishing and hunting. The main ancient occupations of people were hunting and gathering. At different stages of development and in different climatic conditions, the ratio of these activities could be different.
Fishing
In many tribes, fishing was the main sector of the economy. Mankind has successfully mastered rivers, seas, learned to fish in large volumes. Notable changes are acquired by fishing tools: nets, a hook, a boat with oars appear. Fishing was simplified so that even children could do it. Some tribes believed in the existence of different gods responsible for the weather or the harvest, and sacrificed to them in the form of prey. These included fishermen.
Hunting
As new weapons were invented, the hunt went easier and did not take much time, and the tribes could quickly move and explore new territories. People began to invent all kinds of traps, came up with driven hunting, began to make cutters, knives, stone axes, spears.
Hunting productivity increased significantly after the invention of the lance-thrower, which was a stick with emphasis. Thanks to its special shape, the spear flew as a sacrifice at the speed of an arrow. Spear thrower is considered the first mechanical tool that supplemented the muscular strength of a person.
At the end of the Paleolithic, climatic conditions changed significantly, and the era of glaciation began. People began to look for new lands where they could comfortably dwell and conduct appropriating households. The identification of such places was an important point, since there were not enough means of subsistence, and the time spent on the search could cost the life of the whole tribe.
In the era of glaciation, people hunted mainly for reindeer and wild horses. To catch these animals, the tribes used herd hunting. She allowed to catch a large number of animals in a short period of time. In the cold season, animals were valuable prey not only for food quality. They provided people with skins and fur for heating the body and home improvement. Reindeers served as a vehicle for seasonal wanderings. So, in the hot season, people moved closer to the tundra, and in winter they looked for forest zones. Thanks to the search for better living conditions, mankind has mastered new lands.
After the retreat of the glacier, the Mesolithic era began. Deers went behind the glaciers, and hunters followed them. Some people remained in place, adapting to the appropriation of small animals. In the Mesolithic era, mankind invented a boomerang, bow and arrow and. These technological advances have made humans more dangerous for the surrounding animal world. Also during this period, a man managed to tame the first animal - a dog. She became a loyal and indispensable assistant in the hunt.
Gathering
After the retreat of the glacier and general warming, favorable conditions for the development of gathering came. In many tribes, it was a priority industry, on which kept all the appropriating economy. This activity included not only the search for food, but also their processing and cooking. The objects for gathering were wild fruits and berries, nuts, grains, herbs, root vegetables, leaves, algae, mushrooms, bird eggs, insects, frogs and lizards, crayfish, snails, honey of wild bees. Often such food was the basis of the nutrition of primitive people, and gathering itself was a more reliable source of subsistence than hunting and fishing.
This sector of the economy was mainly dealt with by women and children. However, in some cases, duties were nevertheless performed exclusively by men. For example, gathering wild honey required physical strength to climb a tree or rock. Collectors also invented various tools and devices to speed up the process of harvesting food. So, in this branch of the economy stone grains, a hoe, and reaping knives were widely used.
Neolithic revolution
Favorable climatic conditions at the end of the Mesolithic contributed to the development of the appropriating economy. Since this period, humanity has developed at a rapid pace. Tribes dynamically expanded and began to feel a lack of natural gifts. Even in the herd of animals and on the coasts of food, food was scarce. In such circumstances, it was impossible to maintain an appropriating holding. The definition of new territories solved the food problem only partially. This is an important feature of the era of the appropriating economy - a person could live only in places of distribution of animals and plants. Such a natural dependence soon began to squeeze the development of society and the world.
In difficult conditions of survival, people began to pay more and more attention to plants that yielded many fruits: rice, wheat, barley. They realized that it was not necessary to look for lands with wild crops if they well sprouted in the ground near the settlement. So people learned to sow, process, fertilize crops themselves, protect crops from birds and animals. Thus, mankind has mastered agriculture.
The taming of wild animals completes the era in which the appropriating economy existed. Pets were often used not only as the basis of nutrition, but also to perform physical work. For example, for cultivating the land or as a means of transportation.
The development of agriculture and animal husbandry is considered the most important process in the development of mankind. He went down in history as a "Neolithic revolution."