The Rise of Food Production and Social Change (begins ~ 11,000 yrs. Ago)
•	The purposeful domestication of plants and animals was associated with many social changes, when compared with hunting & gathering:
•	a smaller share of a population was needed for food acquisition,
•	thus many people were freed up to specialize as:
•	warriors
•	artisans
•	long distance traders
•	the priesthood

Birth rates generally rose with food production, so populations grew, giving farmers numerical advantages over hunter-gatherers.

But more food sometimes didn’t mean better nutrition:
Human stature diminished in many settings, and bones, teeth evidence suggest poorer nutritional status…

WHY?

•	With the rise in specialization, social class differentiation caused less egalitarian relations to emerge, when compared with hunter-gatherer societies.  Food distribution became less equal.
•	Dietary diversity fell, as groups became more dependent on a smaller group of foods