[Sca-cooks] Circles

[Terry Decker]

Hunter/gatherer cultures do build permanent shelters (consider the Inuit), 
and they may or may not spend a lot of time migrating, but they do have to 
travel to find food.  Hunting and gathering are ongoing processes regularly 
repeated at short intervals which cuts into any other work requiring 
extended effort.  Building big monuments doesn't fit into the lifestyle.

Agrarian cultures have down periods in the spring before planting, after 
planting before harvest, and after harvest before winter.  Even with two or 
three crops per year, there are weeks to months of available time suited to 
building monuments.

Bear

> Bear commented:
>> Since hunter/gatherers don't remained fixed enough to build great
>> monuments, I think that we can safely assume the initial builders were an 
>> agrarian
>> culture.  The primary crops would probably be oats, barley and einkorn.
>>   The Beaker People were pastoralists, adding at least sheep to the 
>> agrarian
>> mix, if they weren't already there.
>
> I'm not sure I would agree with this. Hunter/gatherers don't remain fixed, 
> but they don't travel randomly. Like pastoral people, they tend to migrate 
> in regular patterns. Following the migrating animals and the ripening 
> plants. So I think they could well come back to an area repeatedly, 
> working on something in that area while they were there and then leaving 
> it to return later. But if the circles are meant to measure the time 
> through the year or be used for religious ceremonies through the year, 
> then no, they probably wouldn't build them because they wouldn't fit their 
> lifestyle and needs. The real test would probably be looking at any 
> hunter/gatherer or pastoral cultures that still exist. Do they build 
> permanent structures of any kind?
>
> Stefan