The Neolithic Revolution

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The Neolithic Revolution
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The Neolithic Revolution
The Neolithic Revolution (8000BCE-3500BCE)

• AKA Agricultural Revolution Humans begin to
  slowly domesticate plants and animals.
  Introduction of farming
• Agriculture requires nomadic peoples to live in
  permanent settlements.
• Populations begin to rise in areas where plant
  and animal domestication occurred.

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The Neolithic Revolution
Advantages Costs of Agriculture
Advantages Costs
Steady food supplies Greater populations Leads to organized societies capable of supporting job specialization (soldiers, weavers, scribes, etc.) Heavily dependant on certain food crops (failure starvation) Disease from close contact with animals, humans, waste Cant easily leave sites
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The Neolithic Revolution
Agriculture Slowly Spreads What do you notice
about the core areas?
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The Neolithic Revolution

• Areas of Independent Development
• Tigrus and Euphrates River Valley (wheat, pea,
  olive, sheep, goat)
• Yellow River Valley (rice, millet, pig)
• Indus River Valley (rice cultivation)
• Nile River Valley (papyrus, bees, cats)

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The Neolithic Revolution
Agriculturalists Dominate

• High starch diets slowly allow
• populations to grow rice, wheat, corn
• ?More surplusmore peoplemore trade?
• When the first plow is invented
• crop yields increase rapidly and by 4000BCE. pop.
  grows from 5-8 million to 60-70 million
• agricultural populations begin to spread out and
  nomadic groups are displaced or assimilated

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The Neolithic Revolution
First Towns Develop
Catal Huyuk Modern Turkey First settled 7000BCE
Jericho Modern Israel First settled 7000BCE
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The Neolithic Revolution
First Towns Develop

• Towns require job specialization metal workers,
  pottery workers, farmers, soldiers, religious and
  political leaders.
• (POSSIBLE B/C OF FOOD SURPLUSES!)
• Served as trade centers for the area specialized
  in the production of certain unique crafts
• Beginnings of hierarchy (class)

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The Neolithic Revolution

• What is civilization?
• Advanced cities- large populations that rely on
  farming and TRADE
• Specialized Workers- became skilled and expert at
  jobs other than farming
• Complex Institutions- a long lasting pattern of
  organization in a community (ex. government,
  religion, the economy)
• Record Keeping- developed system of writing to
  keep track of laws, calendars, tax collection,
  food storage
• Advanced Technology- new tools and techniques
  that are needed to solve the problems that emerge
  in society

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The Neolithic Revolution

• Roles of Women
• Women generally lost status under male-dominated
  systems.
• Switch from gathering 80 of the diet to simple
  meal preparation.
• Women were limited in jobs
• Women lacked the
• same social rights as men.

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The Neolithic Revolution
Metal Working From Copper to Bronze

• The working of metals became very important to
  early human settlements for tools weapons.

• Metal workers had a special place in society
  because they were considered magical.
• Metal working spread throughout human communities
  slowly as agriculture had.

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The Neolithic Revolution
Further Technological Advancements
Wheeled Vehicles Saves labor, allows transport of large loads and enhances trade
Potters Wheel Allows the construction of more durable clay vessels and artwork
Irrigation Driven Plows Allows further increase of food production, encourages pop. growth
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The Neolithic Revolution
Early Human Impact on the Environment

• Deforestation in places where copper, bronze, and
  salt were produced.
• Erosion and flooding where agriculture disturbed
  soil and natural vegetation.
• Selective extinction of large land animals and
  weed plants due to hunting agriculture.