Subsistence, to an archaeologist anyway, refers to the suite of behaviors that humans use to feed themselves, whether it be hunting animals or birds, fishing, gathering or tending plants, trading or full fledged agriculture.
The landmarks of subsistence include the control of fire sometime in the Lower to Middle Paleolithic (100,000-200,000 years ago), the hunting of game with stone projectiles in the Middle Paleolithic (ca. 150,000-40,000 years ago), and food storage and what Flannery calls the "broad spectrum economy" by the Upper Paleolithic (ca 40,000-10,000 years ago).
After that, agriculture was invented in different places at different times between 10,000-5,000 years ago. Scientists study historic and prehistoric subsistence and diet by using a wide range of artifacts and measurements, including:
- Types of stone tools that were used to process food, such as grinding stones and scrapers
- Storage or cache pits that include small pieces of bone or vegetal matter
- Middens, large garbage refuse deposits that include bones or plant matter.
- Plant residues clinging to the edges or faces of stone tools such as pollen, phytoliths, and starches
- Stable isotope analysis of animal and human bones
Sources and More Information
Related Terms: Hunter-gatherers, phytoliths, control of fire.
A Bibliography of Agriculture has been assembled for this project.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
