STEP FROM NOMADISM TO SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The passage from nomadism to sedentarism was one of the most important changes in the history of humanity: it entailed a complete epistemological modification in the cultural and social fields. Thanks to the sedentary lifestyle, the first men were able to dedicate themselves to other activities, which led them to invent writing and other aspects of humanity.

During the first periods of Prehistory, man maintained a nomadic attitude, since he did not know the methods of agriculture and construction. However, this way of life changed when the first tools and technologies arrived, since these allowed them to settle, practice agriculture and form larger communities.

The discovery of agriculture was one of the main causes of the appearance of sedentary lifestyle. Source: pixabay.com

The nomads lived mainly by hunting and gathering animals and fruits. However, this method forced them to continually move in search of more food; By only collecting goods without restocking the place, eventually the lands in a certain region would run out of supplies to offer.

Sedentary lifestyle was a key process in the evolution of man because this phenomenon allowed to improve the quality of life of incipient communities: sedentary lifestyle allowed the demographic increase, as well as new techniques and resources to inhabit the earth and the creation of the first geographical delimitations.

Taking these last factors into account, it can be assured that a sedentary lifestyle led to the birth of the first cities, which were very small at first but expanded over the years. However, the transition from nomadism to sedentary lifestyle did not happen quickly but took many decades.

In fact, there are archaeological records that there was contact between nomadic and sedentary communities; therefore, the communities did not all settle at the same time, but gradually. The relations between sedentary and nomads were one of commercial exchange, which made the latter dependent on the former.

The first record of sedentary societies dates from the Neolithic period, specifically in the Middle East, some 10,000 years ago. After this first settlement the sedentary lifestyle spread to other regions, including China, Africa and America; records were also found specifically in New Guinea.

Background

What was nomadism?

Nomadism is the oldest way of settlement in the whole world and it was used most of Prehistory; Temporarily, this spans from two million years ago until the emergence of the agricultural revolution.

Consequently, according to these calculations, human beings have lived on Earth longer as a nomad than following a sedentary lifestyle.

Although nomadism is currently seen as a vestige of primitive and marginal societies, it was thanks to this method that the different regions of the planet were populated.

Due to this the tribes that inhabited the steppes of Siberia crossed the Beringia Bridge approximately fifty thousand years ago, which allowed them to inhabit the American continent.

According to this theory, the American continent would have remained uninhabited until 1492, when the Spanish discovered these lands.

Today there are still some nomadic communities. These groups are believed to be made up of some 40 million people, who decide to relocate due to extreme climates or unfavorable living conditions.

Instability of nomadism

Despite the positive aspects that nomadism brought with it (as was the population of the continents), this system was characterized by its instability in economic terms since it implied a continuous expenditure of resources, mainly vegetation, water and livestock.

In addition, one of the factors that the nomads had against them was the climate, since each area had its variations and its peculiarities.

Although they wreaked havoc in nomadic communities, climatic factors or variations could be resolved in sedentary communities since, by staying in one place, individuals could know and adapt to environmental singularities.

Causes

The arrival of agriculture

One of the main causes of the appearance of sedentary lifestyle was the discovery of agriculture, which is considered one of the most important inventions in the history of mankind.

In archaeological terms there was a phase prior to agriculture, in which some tribes managed to store the food collected in order to preserve it.

Likewise, before agriculture was established as a concept and human activity, prehistoric communities had to go through many processes to establish themselves successfully; there are even records of some tribes that returned to nomadism as a result of failed farming practices.

Climate changes

One of the reasons why it was possible to go from nomadism to sedentary lifestyle was climate change. This occurred along with the last ice age - ten thousand years ago - when the planet's temperature warmed.

That is to say, thanks to the global warming that occurred on Earth ten thousand years ago, many communities or tribes decided to settle in certain places because the climatic conditions allowed it. This gave rise to the well-known civilizations of antiquity.

Consequences

Creation of cities

The most direct consequence of sedentarism was the creation of the first cities. As a result of the development of agriculture, the tribes were able to settle to dedicate themselves to the sowing process and the domestication and breeding of animals. These types of activities not only involved a lot of work but also a lot of waiting time.

Creation of other knowledge and construction of the first walls

During this waiting time, men were able to dedicate themselves to the creation of other human knowledge, such as the recording of time, writing, mathematics, and astronomical observations; they also managed to structure inter-ethnic trade.

In addition, the arrival of agriculture also implied the beginning of the existence of possessions, so that each community had to ensure the protection of what was theirs. From this moment on, the walls and fortresses began to be built.

References

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2. SA (sf) From nomadism to sedentary lifestyle. Retrieved on July 4, 2019 from Google Sites: sites.google.com
3. SA (2009) Transit from sedentary lifestyle to nomadism. Retrieved on July 4, 2019 from Diario Correo: diariocorreo.pe
4. SA (sf) Sedentarism. Retrieved on July 4, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
5. Silva, J. Nomads and sedentary peoples. Retrieved on July 4, 2019 from Jstor: jstor.org