Krusty wrote:
> "Shuurai" > wrote
> > The same way they collected all those veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds.
> > Grains grow naturally in large patches; collecting the seeds isn't all
> > that much more of a bother really, especially when you're generally
> > collecting what you and a few other individuals will eat.
>
> And let's not forget, that it's MUCH more "economical" from an energy
> standpoint to collect grains rather than expend huge amounts of energy in
> the *hopes* of catching a wild animal....all with a brain roughly 1/3 the
> size of ours and no communication.

True, but there is even more to it than that. The trick is to look at
the beginnings of agriculture - how it all got started in the first
place.

Humans didn't just suddenly decide to start planting things. What
happened is that stuff they were eating - be it fruits, nuts, grains,
or vegetables - tended to find itself on the ground. Seeds are dropped
or discarded, and new plants grow.

Grains are no exception. When you collect grains, you tend to drop
some of them on the ground. When you transport and store them, the
same thing happens. The fact that edible grain populations tended to
absolutely skyrocket (even with intentional cultivation) whenever
humans would show up in an area is a pretty good indicator that people
were in fact collecting them in quantity.