The Negative Aspects Of Social And Gender Inequality In Agriculture

The start of the agricultural transition was about 10,000 years ago. Says by Jared Diamond in the article "The Worst Mistake in The History of The Human Race." This conviction complete differentiates notable opinions the people are in "an ideal situation" now than in the ancient times; that now life is substantially less difficult and food more numerous, though, it was once short. Nonetheless, Diamond contends that there is obvious confirmation recommending something else.

The emergence of agriculture was a major stepping stone in human history. During this birth of agriculture, also known as the Neolithic revolution, humans began inhabiting permanent settlements, grow their own crops, and domesticate both plants and animals for food (Weisdorf, 2005). Considering humans have been hunter-gatherers for the majority of their approximately 7 million years of existence, the emergence of agriculture in the Old World only occurring 10,000-5,000 years ago, marks a significant transformation in food sustenance techniques (Weisdorf, 2005). However, this turning point in history is associated with both positive and negative implications. There is much controversy over whether or not the introduction of

Health problems did not only stop at diseases, but continued on to physical health as well. Both hunter-gatherers and farmers have to work to obtain food, however farming requires a lot of hard physical labor. Farmers have to work hard to maintain their crops because that is their only food source, and taking care of crops is not easy and it took a toll on their health. It is shown in evidence that farmers had “an increase in degenerative conditions of the spine, probably reflecting a lot of hard physical labor” (Diamond, 118). Between diseases and physical defects farming was making a huge impact on humans’ ability to survive, so much that even life expectancy went down from twenty six years in hunter-gatherers to nineteen years in farming communities (Diamond, 118).

As students of history we always are searching for resources to give us an idea of what human life was like in the past. Looking back at one specific document, the Law Code of Hammurabi gives us an interesting perspective on what life was like during that period in history. The fact that it was a law code, rather than a narrative, shows us clean cut ideas rather than speculation or bias from one side or another. From the rules and laws stipulated in Babylon by Hammurabi, we are able to draw conclusions about what various aspects of life were like. One of the most obvious aspects of Babylonian society is the class structure.

From the early prehistoric society until now, we often heard the word “adaptation”, which means the process of changing something or changing our behavior to deal with new situations. The ways people adjust their natural environment varies according to time, place, and tribe. Foraging is common way of adaptation that people uses for most of human history; however because of the population pressure, some people adopt agriculture to fulfill their need. This essay, will discuss the positive and negative aspects of life in hunting and gathering societies compared to the agricultural societies based on Martin Harris’ article “Murders in Eden” and Jared Diamond’s article “The Worst Mistake in the History of Human Race.”

The Mesopotamian society existed in 3500 B.C., in what is today modern Iraq. This society created the first legal codes in human history; these codes created laws, but also were filled with inequality and social division. For example, the fine for rape in the Code of Ur-Nammu was only a mere five shekels. This small fine is insulting to women and would be unacceptable today. An example for inter-social class fairness, however is in Hammurabi’s Code. Law 200 states that if a man knocked out the tooth of another man of the same social standing, he should have his tooth knocked out as well. This legal code also had difficulties with proving crimes occurred, law number one in Hammurabi’s code is a prime example, it states that if one were to accuse a crime, had no evidence, he shall be put to death. The Mesopotamians added a lot to human history, but were discriminable against women, had an abundance of social class fairness, and had dilemmas prosecuting crimes.

Hammurabi’s Code reveals much about the social class structure of Ancient Babylonia, particularly the distinction was made between the treatment of the rich, the poor, and the slaves. For example, Hammurabi’s Code states that if a patrician (noble) or plebeian (commoner) stole something that was used to contribute to

Journal #1. Page 32-“The era of human history when agriculture was the most important of all productive technologies and the foundation for most human societies.”

The Hammurabi’s code provided laws and punishments that were applicable based in the gender, and social status. There were three social classes in Mesopotamia, nobility, free citizens, and the lowest that was the slaves. In the first one you can find the kings, and priests. In the second were landlords, merchants, soldiers, artisans, and farmers. In the other hand, the structure of the family was men (father), son, woman (mother), and daughter been the male gender the most powerful in the household.

In Mesopotamia, the caste system was divided mostly based on skill and wealth. Many of the laws in Code of Hammurabi relied heavily in the different classes you were in. Some of the laws differed against people in different classes. For example, law 196 states, “If a man destroyed the eye…his own eye shall be destroyed” compared to law 198, “If he has destroyed…he shall pay one mina of silver.” This clearly shows the contrast of treatment from one class to another.

Prior to the “Agriculture Resolution”, humans who migrated out of Africa lived by traveling in groups from one location to the next which is the technique used to exploit seasonal food supplies. Tools like bows and arrows, fishhooks and needles were used in order to live. But with the agricultural resolution, there was a large change brought about with people beginning to settle in areas which eventually built villages and the introduction of new technologies, including pottery, wheeled vehicles and writing. With the switch of from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle

In Mesopotamia social status was a major factor of life. The code of Hammurabi reflectsthis aspect as well. Punishments under these codes had a pay scale that varied based uponclass. If a crime was committed against an upper class citizen the consequence was vastlygreater than if the same law was violated against a free commoner. This distinction applies tomost laws, ranging from physical harm to theft.

As Hammurabi united Mesopotamia by conquering other empires and transforming cities into the society he wanted, he realized there had to be an all-inclusive set of laws for all people to follow. This had to happen if he wanted his empire to last forever no matter how diverse it became. Hammurabi’s code covers a wide range of circumstances and each outcome depended on the individual and their case. Some of the circumstances are property, debt slavery, marriage and family, and justice cases. Each section goes into detail as to what each case is about and what the outcome will be. Though Hammurabi includes punishments in his laws for the wealthy, the lower-class, the slaves, the women, and the children none were created or viewed equal in the terms of the law. This is shown in Hammurabi’s code 196, “If a man has destroyed the eye of another free

In Ancient Mesopotamia, there is a well-known code that marked human history and that code is known today as the code of the Hammurabi. Ancient Mesopotamia society was highly based on social status and this code was relevant to those depending on what social status they fell in. A perfect example would be that the kings and nobles were considered upper-class, while the agriculture workers were the lower-class. The code of Hammurabi was established by Babylonian king Hammurabi. The Hammurabi code consists of laws that individuals must follow or there would be serious consequences. These laws showed that the behavior and conduct of others was set to a high expectation. The code of Hammurabi was very strict and it bans those who lie, steal, and

Despite popular belief that the adoption of agriculture improved human life because of the growth in population, it actually created several biological changes in the human body which lead to an overall decline in health due to various skeletal and dental pathologies and an increased spread of disease among the community. One of the first regions of the world to have agriculture was Southwest Asia (Flannery 1973). According to archaeological findings, several regions in Asia seemed to have some form of a village lifestyle before agriculture even began (Flannery 1973). When people began settling in villages instead of constantly shifting from place to place, the population size of groups increased. An