preagricultural

Preagricultural refers to the period and societies before the domestication of plants and animals and the shift to farming. The term is regionally variable, most often applied to the Stone Age hunter-gatherer and forager lifeways that preceded agriculture. In many regions, agriculture arose only much later, so preagricultural periods span thousands of years before farming began.

Subsistence during this era depended on hunting, fishing, gathering wild plants, and opportunistic foraging. Communities were typically mobile or semi-sedentary and organized into small bands. Diets were diverse and seasonally driven, with available resources shaping daily movement and storage practices.

Technology and social structure reflected foraging life. Stone and bone tools, simple containers, and fire use supported processing of food and materials. Social organization was often egalitarian in small groups, with limited surplus and less formalized leadership than later agricultural societies, though regional variation existed.

The transition to agriculture involved gradual domestication and farming in multiple centers worldwide, leading to sedentism, storage, and population growth. Archaeology traces preagricultural lifeways through lithics, faunal and botanical remains, site organization, and burial practices, acknowledging regional differences in timing and practice.