Our species have been hunter-gatherers for most of our existence on Earth. People during the Paleolithic period adapted to the environment of the time, consuming food as it became available and hunting game, resulting in a high percentage of their food being the meat. Evidence suggests that before the end of the Paleolithic period, hunters would have noted the migratory patterns of the herds they hunted and learned which plants were nutritious and non-toxic. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and berries were picked in season and, being nomadic, they followed food sources rather than growing crops. Learning to control fire helped them adapt to their environment, both by providing them with a source of warmth and safety (expanding the temperate range in which they could survive) and by making food more flavorful and appetizing . (I. Kuijt, pp. 103-107) About twelve thousand years ago, the most recent ice age receded. Herds of large animals from cold climates moved north, and our ancestors had to change their habits to survive. As the southernmost regions warmed, some hunter-gatherers found enough food to sustain the group within a short distance of their camps. These food plants attracted a wide variety of small game such as horses and rabbits. Conditions around major river systems in warm climates were favorable for colonies, as these areas had enough food to survive year-round. Evidence suggests that at this time sedentary living and deliberate cultivation of food plants began in five different regions of the world; Euphrates and the Nile rivers; the Indus River in the north of the Indian subcontinent; in China along the Yellow River; the Fertile Crescent region in Western Asia, along the Tigris River; in sub-Saharan Africa and the Niger River system; and Central America. (http://ragz-international.com/ancient_civilization.htm)The transition from nomadic life to colonization marked the beginning of the Neolithic period. People were now producing food, rather than obtaining it, they were no longer adapting to their environment, but adapting their environment to it. This involved actions as simple as weeding around food plants, providing water to the plants during dry periods, and planting seeds so that the food would grow in a more convenient location. Sedentary living meant that food could be stored as a reserve for periods...... middle of paper ......This early agriculture resulted in the extension of the kinship networks and economic trading systems that existed until the industrial revolution. This affected our culture and altered our drives, making us territorial and materialistic, but it also created hierarchical systems that allowed cooperation within our species beyond that normal in the anima realm. It was this cooperation that allowed us to change the world our species lived in, giving us the abilities to dominate the planet. Bibliography (1959) R. Redfield The Primitive World and its Transformations Great Seal Books, New York (1991) RL Bettinger Hunters-Gatherers: Archaeological and Evolutionary Theory Plenum Press, New York (1995) Hansen International World History Project http:/ /ragz-international.com/ancient_civilization.htm Accessed: 30102003 (2000) I. Kuijt Life in Neolithic Agricultural Communities: Social Organization, Identity and Differentiation Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York: 30102003)