CAJ | 학술논문

文明起源在考古学上是一个复杂的问题,牵涉到人类社会的许多方面。其中一个重要方面就是农业。本文试图强调农业对文明起源所起的推动作用,并提出一些有关农业考古的看法,希望对目前正在进行的中华文明探源工程和类似课题有所帮助。
문명기원재고고학상시일개복잡적문제,견섭도인류사회적허다방면。기중일개중요방면취시농업。본문시도강조농업대문명기원소기적추동작용,병제출일사유관농업고고적간법,희망대목전정재진행적중화문명탐원공정화유사과제유소방조。
Although archaeologists have long realized the significance of agriculture in the social development, they still see other factors, such as unfair trade, as the main driving forces of social developments. Inspired by the staple finance （or subsistence economy） and wealth finance （or political economy） theory of D＇Altroy and Earle, this paper stresses that agriculture is the main source of wealth for ancient societies. This is borne out by the fact that the earliest civilizations emerge in plain areas where agriculture is developed rather than in mountain regions where the copper deposite is rich. Moreover, the different speeds of social development in Eurasian Continent,where the metallurgical technology develops much earlier,and the Central Plains of China, where the metallurgic technology develops later,and the rapid rise of social complexity in the Yayoi Period of Japan after the introduction of rice farming also substantiates this observation.Therefore,we need to pay much more attention to the relationship between agricultural development and social complexity when we explore the origins of civilizations.