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Neolithic Change Was A Slow Mosaic
- The Neolithic transition didn't happen on a single date but emerged slowly from existing hunter-gatherer behaviors.
- Archaeological patterns show thousands-of-years gradual shifts rather than a sudden global decision to farm.
Firestick Farming Created Better Hunting Grounds
- Aboriginal Australians practiced deliberate controlled burns called firestick farming to create open grazing areas and attract herbivores for hunting.
- This landscape management shows deep ecological knowledge and long-term environmental manipulation.
Younger Dryas Forced Rapid Ecological Shifts
- The Younger Dryas produced an abrupt northern-hemisphere cooling that disrupted established vegetation and human-animal lifeways.
- That climatic jolt likely forced rapid cultural adaptations and marks the end of the Upper Paleolithic.