When Humans Were Scarce - Population Growth in Hunter-Gatherer and Early Agricultural Societies

Explore the demographic shifts from hunter-gatherer societies to early agricultural civilizations in this Yale University lecture. Examine how population density, food supply, health, and work patterns changed with the advent of agriculture. Analyze the factors limiting hunter-gatherer populations, including inter-group violence. Discover why early agricultural societies experienced rapid population growth followed by sudden declines, and learn about the impact of crop failures and infectious diseases. Investigate how surplus food production led to stratified societies and the development of warrior tribes. Understand the historically high death rates and the cultural emphasis on high reproductive rates in major religions. Delve into topics such as human fertility limits and cultural methods of limiting fertility across seven comprehensive chapters.

- Chapter 1. Introduction to Human Systems: Hunter Gatherers
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- Chapter 2. Hunter Gatherer Demography
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- Chapter 3. Population and the Dawn of Agriculture
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- Chapter 4. Fertility and Mortality for Early Agriculturalists
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- Chapter 5. High Fertility and Culture
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- Chapter 6. Upper Limit of Human Fertility
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- Chapter 7. Limiting Fertility by Culture
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