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Why was storable surplus food important to the urban revolution?
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Crowds of people in Tokyo's Shibuya shopping district.
Storable surplus food was a vital precondition for the urban revolution, as it functioned as the essential capital that allowed societies to transition from simple agricultural villages to complex urban civilizations.1
The importance of these surpluses lies in their ability to support populations that were not directly involved in food production. Specifically, surplus yields enabled the emergence of:
- Full-time Specialists: Because farmers could produce more than they needed for subsistence, they could support individuals who devoted their time to non-agricultural activities, such as metallurgy, engineering, and craft production.2
- Economic Complexity: Surpluses facilitated the development of systems for the exchange and redistribution of goods between specialized, interdependent zones.1
- Social Stratification: The concentration of wealth and the differential control over productive resources, such as land and livestock, were underpinned by the availability of these stored resources.1
Ultimately, the ability to store food provided the stability necessary for the growth of civilization, allowing for the development of large-scale public works and the complex political organizations that define urban life.12