Neolithic Revolution leads to Growth of Civilizations

1. Neolithic Revolution leads to Growth of Civilizations

2. The Neolithic Revolution • Neolithic: New Stone Age • Revolution: a MAJOR change • Agriculture: deliberate modification of earth’s surface to cultivate plants or raise animals with the purposes of sustenance and/or economic gain.

3. The Discovery of Farming • Agriculture developed in pre-history • no absolute certainty of its origins • Archaeological evidence: ~12,000 years ago • Hunter-gathering people “discovered” agriculture • observing discarded cuttings or seeds grew the same plants • many believe women were the first to observe/experiment ~ Why?

4. The Discovery of Farming • Experimented with irrigation and manure • Saw plants by water, saw plants near where animals defecated • Development of plant domestication • Raised in a controlled way that makes them best suited to human use • Replant seeds of the ‘best’ plants • First Permanent Villages Developed • Settled farming allowed Stone Age Early Humans to stay in one place

6. Animal Domestication • Animals are kept for specific purposes • Animals dependent on humans for survival • Breeding is controlled • Traits develop that differ from the same animal in the wild • Uses: companionship, “beasts of burden,” food, religion, clothing • Developed shortly after seed/vegetative agriculture (~12,000 y.a.)

8. Impacts of Agriculture

9. Settlements Become Cities • All early settlements were near rivers • Began to produce surplus food • Larger food source = larger population • settlements  cities • job specialization • social inequality • 1st Civilizations develop

10. Quickwrites: • What makes a society a “civilization”? • How is this term, or the term ‘civilized,’ sometimes misused?

11. Eight Features of Civilization • Cities • Governments • Religions • Social Classes • Job Specialization • Writing • Art & Architecture • Public Works

12. Science & Technology Advances • Weather • agricultural science • calendar • metal work (~4K BCE)

13. Demographics (Population) • Higher birth rates • Death rates high • Very slow growth • Less migration • Communicable disease

14. Environment • Deforestation • Soil depletion & erosion • Desertification • Water contamination

16. The ‘Cradle of Civilization’

17. Earliest civilization developed in Sumer • Where: SE Mesopotamia • Near Tigris & Euphrates Rivers • present-day Iraq • When: ~3300 BCE (~5300 y.a.) • City-states: A central city & the surrounding areas • Elites controlled surrounding regions, collected goods for the city

18. Sumer’s Civilization • Government:Ruler maintained defense, enforced laws, collected taxes, kept records, lead religious ceremonies • Religion: Polytheistic ~gods like humans, control every aspect of life, must be pleased with ceremonies • Social Classes: low (farmers) to middle (merchants, scribes) to elites (priests, leaders) • Job Specialization: farmers, potters, brick makers, boat makers, traders, merchants, priests, leaders

19. Sumer - City of Ur

20. Sumer’s Civilization • Writing: cuneiform • Art & Architecture: painting, music, ziggaruts, homes, warehouses • Public Works: irrigation, flood control

21. Rise of Empires • Empires arise in Mesopotamia • King Sargon conquers Sumer • Soon overtaken by the Bablyonians • Other Mesopotamian empires: Assyrians, Hittites, Phoenicians, Persians

22. Ishtar Gate, built by King Nebuchadnezzar