Archaeology of African Agro-systems: A Macro-Evolutionary Perspective

Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12

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Archaeology of African Agro-systems: A Macro-Evolutionary Perspective

Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl

Published in International Journal of Archaeology (Volume 10, Issue 1)

Received: 10 January 2022 Accepted: 24 January 2022 Published: 16 February 2022

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Abstract

The neolithization processes – the shift from hunting-gathering to food production– was kicked off at the end of the Late Glacial Maximum and amplified at different pace in different places during the Holocene. The virtual simultaneity of these transformations in different parts of the world begs for explanation. The Early Holocene Global warming triggered profound environmental changes that offered new resources cohorts and subsistence opportunities to post-Pleistocene hunters-gatherers. Plants and animals’ domestication resulting from the long-term exploitation and manipulation of selected range of species took place in different parts of the world. Different hypotheses have been formulated to understand the forces driving this shift and the mechanisms sustaining these processes. The prime-movers in these reviewed models include climate change, population growth, the dynamic of exchange, feasting, or religions. This paper focuses on the genesis of African agro-systems in a macro-evolutionary perspective. Plant domestication and the ensuing agricultural system derived from the operation of co-evolutionary process involving nature, biological entities, and human agency in constant directional feed-back loops. The derived African agro-systems, their genesis, diversity, chronology, and long-term evolution are outlined and discussed. The domestication of Pearl-millet (Pennisetum glaucum) as well as its expansion in the continent are featured in a case-study showcasing the core Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) assumptions that are: directionality, causality, targets of selection, mode of inheritance, and pace of evolution operating at micro as well as macro levels.

Published in	International Journal of Archaeology (Volume 10, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12
Page(s)	6-19
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Neolithization, Agriculture, Agro-systems, Agro-forestry, Macro-evolutionary, African Cerealiculture, Horticulture

References

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Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl. (2022). Archaeology of African Agro-systems: A Macro-Evolutionary Perspective. International Journal of Archaeology, 10(1), 6-19. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12

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Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl. Archaeology of African Agro-systems: A Macro-Evolutionary Perspective. Int. J. Archaeol. 2022, 10(1), 6-19. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12

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Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl. Archaeology of African Agro-systems: A Macro-Evolutionary Perspective. Int J Archaeol. 2022;10(1):6-19. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12,
  author = {Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl},
  title = {Archaeology of African Agro-systems: A Macro-Evolutionary Perspective},
  journal = {International Journal of Archaeology},
  volume = {10},
  number = {1},
  pages = {6-19},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ija.20221001.12},
  abstract = {The neolithization processes – the shift from hunting-gathering to food production– was kicked off at the end of the Late Glacial Maximum and amplified at different pace in different places during the Holocene. The virtual simultaneity of these transformations in different parts of the world begs for explanation. The Early Holocene Global warming triggered profound environmental changes that offered new resources cohorts and subsistence opportunities to post-Pleistocene hunters-gatherers. Plants and animals’ domestication resulting from the long-term exploitation and manipulation of selected range of species took place in different parts of the world. Different hypotheses have been formulated to understand the forces driving this shift and the mechanisms sustaining these processes. The prime-movers in these reviewed models include climate change, population growth, the dynamic of exchange, feasting, or religions. This paper focuses on the genesis of African agro-systems in a macro-evolutionary perspective. Plant domestication and the ensuing agricultural system derived from the operation of co-evolutionary process involving nature, biological entities, and human agency in constant directional feed-back loops. The derived African agro-systems, their genesis, diversity, chronology, and long-term evolution are outlined and discussed. The domestication of Pearl-millet (Pennisetum glaucum) as well as its expansion in the continent are featured in a case-study showcasing the core Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) assumptions that are: directionality, causality, targets of selection, mode of inheritance, and pace of evolution operating at micro as well as macro levels.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Archaeology of African Agro-systems: A Macro-Evolutionary Perspective
AU  - Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl
Y1  - 2022/02/16
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12
T2  - International Journal of Archaeology
JF  - International Journal of Archaeology
JO  - International Journal of Archaeology
SP  - 6
EP  - 19
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7595
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12
AB  - The neolithization processes – the shift from hunting-gathering to food production– was kicked off at the end of the Late Glacial Maximum and amplified at different pace in different places during the Holocene. The virtual simultaneity of these transformations in different parts of the world begs for explanation. The Early Holocene Global warming triggered profound environmental changes that offered new resources cohorts and subsistence opportunities to post-Pleistocene hunters-gatherers. Plants and animals’ domestication resulting from the long-term exploitation and manipulation of selected range of species took place in different parts of the world. Different hypotheses have been formulated to understand the forces driving this shift and the mechanisms sustaining these processes. The prime-movers in these reviewed models include climate change, population growth, the dynamic of exchange, feasting, or religions. This paper focuses on the genesis of African agro-systems in a macro-evolutionary perspective. Plant domestication and the ensuing agricultural system derived from the operation of co-evolutionary process involving nature, biological entities, and human agency in constant directional feed-back loops. The derived African agro-systems, their genesis, diversity, chronology, and long-term evolution are outlined and discussed. The domestication of Pearl-millet (Pennisetum glaucum) as well as its expansion in the continent are featured in a case-study showcasing the core Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) assumptions that are: directionality, causality, targets of selection, mode of inheritance, and pace of evolution operating at micro as well as macro levels.
VL  - 10
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl

Department of Anthropology and Ethnology, School of Sociology and Anthropology, Africa Research Center, Belt and Road Research Institute, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China

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Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl. (2022). Archaeology of African Agro-systems: A Macro-Evolutionary Perspective. International Journal of Archaeology, 10(1), 6-19. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12

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ACS Style

Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl. Archaeology of African Agro-systems: A Macro-Evolutionary Perspective. Int. J. Archaeol. 2022, 10(1), 6-19. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12

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Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl. Archaeology of African Agro-systems: A Macro-Evolutionary Perspective. Int J Archaeol. 2022;10(1):6-19. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12,
  author = {Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl},
  title = {Archaeology of African Agro-systems: A Macro-Evolutionary Perspective},
  journal = {International Journal of Archaeology},
  volume = {10},
  number = {1},
  pages = {6-19},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ija.20221001.12},
  abstract = {The neolithization processes – the shift from hunting-gathering to food production– was kicked off at the end of the Late Glacial Maximum and amplified at different pace in different places during the Holocene. The virtual simultaneity of these transformations in different parts of the world begs for explanation. The Early Holocene Global warming triggered profound environmental changes that offered new resources cohorts and subsistence opportunities to post-Pleistocene hunters-gatherers. Plants and animals’ domestication resulting from the long-term exploitation and manipulation of selected range of species took place in different parts of the world. Different hypotheses have been formulated to understand the forces driving this shift and the mechanisms sustaining these processes. The prime-movers in these reviewed models include climate change, population growth, the dynamic of exchange, feasting, or religions. This paper focuses on the genesis of African agro-systems in a macro-evolutionary perspective. Plant domestication and the ensuing agricultural system derived from the operation of co-evolutionary process involving nature, biological entities, and human agency in constant directional feed-back loops. The derived African agro-systems, their genesis, diversity, chronology, and long-term evolution are outlined and discussed. The domestication of Pearl-millet (Pennisetum glaucum) as well as its expansion in the continent are featured in a case-study showcasing the core Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) assumptions that are: directionality, causality, targets of selection, mode of inheritance, and pace of evolution operating at micro as well as macro levels.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Archaeology of African Agro-systems: A Macro-Evolutionary Perspective
AU  - Augustin Ferdinand Charles Holl
Y1  - 2022/02/16
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12
T2  - International Journal of Archaeology
JF  - International Journal of Archaeology
JO  - International Journal of Archaeology
SP  - 6
EP  - 19
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7595
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20221001.12
AB  - The neolithization processes – the shift from hunting-gathering to food production– was kicked off at the end of the Late Glacial Maximum and amplified at different pace in different places during the Holocene. The virtual simultaneity of these transformations in different parts of the world begs for explanation. The Early Holocene Global warming triggered profound environmental changes that offered new resources cohorts and subsistence opportunities to post-Pleistocene hunters-gatherers. Plants and animals’ domestication resulting from the long-term exploitation and manipulation of selected range of species took place in different parts of the world. Different hypotheses have been formulated to understand the forces driving this shift and the mechanisms sustaining these processes. The prime-movers in these reviewed models include climate change, population growth, the dynamic of exchange, feasting, or religions. This paper focuses on the genesis of African agro-systems in a macro-evolutionary perspective. Plant domestication and the ensuing agricultural system derived from the operation of co-evolutionary process involving nature, biological entities, and human agency in constant directional feed-back loops. The derived African agro-systems, their genesis, diversity, chronology, and long-term evolution are outlined and discussed. The domestication of Pearl-millet (Pennisetum glaucum) as well as its expansion in the continent are featured in a case-study showcasing the core Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) assumptions that are: directionality, causality, targets of selection, mode of inheritance, and pace of evolution operating at micro as well as macro levels.
VL  - 10
IS  - 1
ER  -

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