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“Unknowns” Podcast Episode 7, Clip 2

“Unknowns” Podcast Episode 7, Clip 2

Why, when, and how did early humans begin farming? We don’t have all the answers, but archaeological evidence can help us figure out many of these mysteries.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.

Key Ideas

Think about the following questions as you watch the video


  1. 00:28 About how long did it take for humans to domesticate plants?
  2. 02:25 Why does Peter Bellwood characterize the people living in places where farming began as lucky?
  3. 03:24 What were some of the earliest crops and animals that were domesticated?
  4. 05:41 Why didn’t early humans begin farming around 20,000 years ago?
  5. 06:23 Why didn’t farming begin everywhere after the last ice age?