The broad spectrum revolution (BSR) hypothesis, proposed by Kent Flannery in a 1968 paper presented to a London University symposium,[1] suggested that the emergence of the Neolithic in southwest Asia was prefaced by increases in dietary breadth among foraging societies.
In optimal habitats, these plants naturally grew in relatively dense stands, but required human intervention in order to be efficiently harvested in marginal zones.
In terms of fauna, animal prey which was previously considered an inefficient use of resources (particularly small, fast mammals or fish) could now also be worthwhile.
The most commonly accepted stimulation for the BSR is demographic pressures on the landscape, under which over-exploitation of resources meant narrow diets restricted to high-value prey could no longer feed the expanding population.
[3] The broad-spectrum revolution has also been linked to climatic changes, including sea level rises during which: The Japanese site Nittano (inlet near Tokyo) was occupied several times between 6000 and 5000 BP.