Thursday, April 23, 2020

7000 BCE: Start of proto-agriculture in India


7000 BCE: 

Around 7000 BCE - 8000 BCE, first agriculture in Indian subcontinent starts likely in Baluchistan, in current Pakistan. Enterprising proto-farmers start cultivating Barley as main crop. This crop is supported by Wheat & Cotton. They also have some domestication of goats and sheep. 

Meanwhile, towards their south-east in the alluvial gangetic plains (in UP, India) there is indeed rice harvesting on an ongoing basis - well fed by the river Ganga. However, it is wild rice with no proof of a structured cultivation. This meant no rice-based society emerges - rice cultivation is much more complex than wheat and would need a more sophisticated society to run it. The subcontinent still populated largely by South Asian Hunter gatherers and hence a high level social intervention for rice cultivation still lacking. 



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