Work load used to be significantly less in the medieval ages.
And even less in hunting/gathering times (probably). All the ethnographies we have of (formerly) extant hunter/gatherers show them basically not even working a part-time job. The !Kung-san of southern Africa were recorded as putting in an average of 17 hours a week of food-related work - and this was in a much sparser environment than what our ancient ancestors existed in.
It’s not a function of space, but of time. Work load used to be significantly less in the medieval ages.
Modern work load is caused by progress and the high demand for human workforce that it brings with it.
And even less in hunting/gathering times (probably). All the ethnographies we have of (formerly) extant hunter/gatherers show them basically not even working a part-time job. The !Kung-san of southern Africa were recorded as putting in an average of 17 hours a week of food-related work - and this was in a much sparser environment than what our ancient ancestors existed in.