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Re: Women inventing agriculture
Matthew Hill (mhill@WATARTS.UWATERLOO.CA)
Fri, 7 Apr 1995 07:33:58 -0400
On Thu, 6 Apr 1995 USS@SPACE-SOCIETY.UH.EDU wrote:
> Well, I saw the program and it was very good. Although I agree that we will
> probably never know, it does seem funny that men were doing everything--out
> hunting and coming into the fields to invent agriculture as well! It was
> very ironic, however, when the credits rolled and we discovered that the
> science advisor for the show WAS A MAN! David Hurst Thomas!
>
> BTW, paleo-fecal matter? I know that cave artifacts preserve well but come on?
>
I did not see the programme, but it seems to me that the whole notion of
somebody inventing agriculture is off-base. Much more likely that it
snuck up on them while they thought they were just doing the same old
thing.
Why not paleo-fecal matter? The basic pollen sequence for the late
Pleistocene southwest U.S. is, or was at one time, based upon data from
massive deposits of sloth dung. Why should the survival of human
coprolites (science for old shits) be surprising? I can provide reference
if desired, but I suspect that any text on archaeological technique will
have a discussion of the subject.
Matthew Hill (MHILL@WATARTS.UWATERLOO) Us coprolites have more staying
power than old farts do.
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