agriculture economic surplus population density slavery

Agriculture made slavery more widespread

Slavery was rare among hunter-gatherers because it depended on economic surpluses and substantial population density. Agriculture made those conditions more common about 11,000 years ago; slavery became widespread only after they did.

Some escaped communities secured autonomy in Suriname

In Suriname, people who escaped slavery formed Maroon communities in the rain-forest interior. Their knowledge of the forest helped them evade colonial campaigns. European authorities eventually signed treaties granting some communities autonomy, sovereign status and trade rights.

Two different kinds of tasks can be easier together

Working memory handles words and visual information partly through different systems. Because of this, doing one verbal task and one visual task at the same time can be easier than doing two tasks that use the same kind of information.

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agriculture economic surplus population density slavery

Agriculture made slavery more widespread

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