JOURNAL ARTICLE

World's oldest forts upend idea that farming alone led to complex societies.

  • Published In: Sciencemag.org, 2023. P. N.PAG 1 of 3

  • Database: Applied Science & Technology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Curry, Andrew 3 of 3

Abstract

A recent study challenges the idea that complex societies and permanent settlements could only arise after the advent of agriculture. In central Siberia, hunter-gatherers built the world's oldest known fortresses 8,000 years ago, complete with elaborate defenses and dwellings sunk deep into the ground for warmth. These fortresses were built thousands of years before agriculture reached some parts of Europe and Asia, suggesting that alternate pathways to complexity exist. The findings in Siberia, along with other archaeological evidence, are prompting a re-evaluation of how complex societies developed and challenging the traditional view that agriculture was the primary driver of cultural complexity. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Sciencemag.org. 2023/11, pN.PAG
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2023
  • Accession Number:173970583
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Sciencemag.org is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.