world oldest profession

[Songblade]

Two simultaneously: Hunter/Gatherers AND Childcare. It's not like they'd just leave the little ones alone while they were out bashing creatures to death.

 

[Xanex]

It's got to be veggie picker. That or hunter for meat. Doubt it's fisherman.

 

[Edguy]

Obviously hunter/gatherer, but I don't think you'd look at it as a profession back then. Just a way of life. Professions didn't really exist until we got complex civilizations..

 

[Stasisesque]

Profession means something you are paid for, hence prostitution being the world's oldest. In that regard, I don't doubt it. It's been observed in the animal kingdom that primates will trade sexual favours for food, shelter or protection. It's obvious in our society that that still happens, so I'd say it's at least possible both we and our primate cousins learned it from our ancestors.

I can't agree that hunter-gatherer was the oldest profession, as they typically hunter-gathered for themselves or their tribe, they weren't being paid to go out and get food. Food was the payment.

And what was the payment of such pre-historian prostitute?
Food, mostly
So it is safe to assume that food could be considered as "money" (well one of, because barter)
So by same logic, if gathering money isn't considered job, then present day tax collectors and people responsible for emitting money aren't working either.
So I pretty much disagree on your opinion.
Job is something you do on regular basis that provides you with means to sustain your needs (not exact explanation, but I see job more along these lines)
So my vote goes for hunter or fisher.

P.S. OMG- so much "so"s. I really need to reread my posts more often

Tax collectors don't get to keep the taxes they chase up. They are paid by a third party to perform their task. Hunter-gatherers were not paid by anyone to hunter-gather, they had to perform that task in order for survival. Prostitution is not needed for survival (in the animal kingdom it is considered prostitution when it happens outside of procreation and there is a service exchanged for it, shelter/protection/food).

Everyone was a hunter-gatherer pre-history, hence prostitution being the world's oldest profession. The first time someone exchanged sexual favours for goods was the first time someone provided a service for which they were "paid".

Think of it this way: You go out, acquire food, cook the food and eat the food but that isn't your profession. It's survival. Your profession is some other task for which you are provided the means to acquire food.

 

[aba1]

Profession means something you are paid for, hence prostitution being the world's oldest. In that regard, I don't doubt it. It's been observed in the animal kingdom that primates will trade sexual favours for food, shelter or protection. It's obvious in our society that that still happens, so I'd say it's at least possible both we and our primate cousins learned it from our ancestors.

I can't agree that hunter-gatherer was the oldest profession, as they typically hunter-gathered for themselves or their tribe, they weren't being paid to go out and get food. Food was the payment.

Good points if it was first job it would be a different story but since it is profession that changes things. I think gatherer could still be the first however since it could be said that you are collecting food in exchange for expectance into the tribe which is a form of payment.

 

[Syntax Error]

Salesman. Cuz everyone has to sell something. It could be a product or a "service" or an actual service.

 

[Fluffythepoo]

I was under the impression it was Stone Masonry... i got this information from a stone mason so its prolly accurate and unbiased. But proffesions didnt come about until cities came about and cities didnt come about because ppl were selling their bodies they came about because masons built the damn cities.. so there.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

I think leadership is the oldest profession. The biggest, smartest, toughest hunter takes over a tribe. Now he has a job in leading that tribe. You know, deciding who to make war with, how the tribe is run, etc.

I could be wrong, tired or both but I'm going with that.

I think you just one upped yourself in your own post.

Id say hunter. Depending on when you count "Humans" being humans killing things to eat or gathering berries totally count as jobs. And its a job we have we have done forever since we formed groups.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Tax collectors don't get to keep the taxes they chase up. They are paid by a third party to perform their task. Hunter-gatherers were not paid by anyone to hunter-gather, they had to perform that task in order for survival. Prostitution is not needed for survival (in the animal kingdom it is considered prostitution when it happens outside of procreation and there is a service exchanged for it, shelter/protection/food).

Everyone was a hunter-gatherer pre-history, hence prostitution being the world's oldest profession. The first time someone exchanged sexual favours for goods was the first time someone provided a service for which they were "paid".

Think of it this way: You go out, acquire food, cook the food and eat the food but that isn't your profession. It's survival. Your profession is some other task for which you are provided the means to acquire food.

In a world without currency that could be a profession because the tribe share all resources. To be part of the tribe you hunt. But in return you get the services of the rest of the tribe. You gather ALL the berries but in return you get to share the fish the fisherman gathers. Does that count if its an exchange of goods but not currency? You could go further and say babysitting or guarding were also jobs. Some males and females would stay behind to protect the young and their current home. Although gathering no food they exchange that service for food gathered by others.

 

[FalloutJack]

Survival is the world's oldest profession. Professionalism is just a matter of doing it right to achieve your ends. Payment is a fluid concept. It can mean anything. In this case, from the start of the very first organisms, the olest profession is survival an the payment is staying alive. There is nothing more simple than this, even though the means TO survive may vary.

 

[Guffe]

It has to be football player.
Otherwise people wouldn't be so good at the sport in so many countries they are today.
So football player, that's my choise!!

 

[Tiger King]

priest must be up there as our ancestors were pretty superstitious.
maybe soldier/warrior too?

 

[Angie7F]

snip snip

I agree to this.
It is only a profession if you get paid for it.
If you are just gathering and hunting for yourself then it is not a profession.

 

[McKitten]

I'm gonna go with cook. Food is always the first priority for obvious reasons, and as soon as you have division of labour with some humans going out to catch the food and others staying home preparing the food (or doing it when the hunters are back and relaxing in front of the TV) you've sort of got a profession. Although i guess that would mean cook & hunter are the two oldest.

Prostitution, possibly, but i'd be curious how exactly that is defined. Because simply saying one monkey giving another monkey food in return for sex would also make most marriages prostitution.