2 ms·
Many modern archaeologists don't draw a direct line between agriculture and sedentarism. It's mainly a feature studies in the middle east, and in particular so
by AlotOfReading 6y ago
Many modern archaeologists don't draw a direct line between agriculture and sedentarism. It's mainly a feature studies in the middle east, and in particular southern mesopotamian societies. Excavations in these areas were influential in early narratives about the neolithic, but the idea that it's the only way urbanism occurs has become pretty archaic as our understanding of the rest of the world improves. For example, we now know that all the innovations you mention predate urban settlements.
Beyond that, the "why" of early urbanism is still fundamentally unclear. Some people, myself included, argue that there's no singular concrete reason that's universally applicable. Others take that a bit farther (e.g. Michael E. Smith) and argue that we need to invoke high level concepts of feedback loops and scaling laws to explain them. Regardless, there isn't a settled explanation in the literature.