In the study of early agrarian societies, traditional historians have long maintained that the transition from foraging to agriculture was primarily driven by climate change, which forced nomadic populations to settle near stable water sources. This "environmental determinism" view has recently been challenged by social archaeologists, who argue that the shift to agriculture was instead a byproduct of social competition and the desire of emerging elites to accumulate surplus wealth.
While social factors certainly played a major role in the subsequent expansion of established agricultural communities, the initial domestication of crops coincides too perfectly with the end of a major global cold period to dismiss environmental triggers. Thus, while the social archaeologists have usefully highlighted the political dynamics of early farming villages, their outright dismissal of climate as the primary initial catalyst is premature.
Which one of the following most accurately describes the author's stance toward the viewpoint of the social archaeologists?
- The author values their insights into the social dynamics of farming communities but disagrees with their rejection of climate as the original trigger for agriculture.Answer
- BThe author concurs with their assertion that the transition from foraging to agriculture was fundamentally driven by nomadic populations seeking stable water sources.
- CThe author wholly rejects their perspective as fundamentally flawed because it ignores the undeniable impact of global cold periods.
- DThe author praises them for usefully highlighting how environmental determinism shaped the political dynamics of early elites.
- EThe author implies that social archaeologists believe early nomadic populations were entirely unconcerned with environmental conditions prior to the transition to agriculture.