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Unit 1: Prehistory to Early Civilizations. Ms. Willia. Neolithic Revolution. Agriculture. Agriculture: farming and raising livestock Before the Neolithic period, most humans made their living by hunting and gathering humans were constantly on the move
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Unit 1: Prehistory to Early Civilizations Ms. Willia
Agriculture • Agriculture: farming and raising livestock • Before the Neolithic period, most humans made their living by hunting and gathering • humans were constantly on the move • People in the Middle East discovered they could plant and harvest a wheat plant they found growing wild. • At about the same time… • people began to domesticate wild animals • raising them for food and as a source of power that could pull wagons and plows
Agriculture • People no longer had to follow the wandering animal herds • they could settle in one place • grow crops • build towns and cities • With permanent homes… • People could collect more possessions • Encouraged the invention of new technologies • Human population jumped from about two million people during the early Stone Age to about 60 million during the late Stone Age.
Agriculture • Farmers learned to grow more food than they needed for their own use, resulting in a surplus. • made it possible to accumulate wealth • leading to job specialization because not everyone had to raise food to make a living. • Some people could specialize in non-agricultural work • like making pottery • becoming priests or government officials • Agriculture became the main source of wealth in most societies until the industrial age.
Neolithic Revolution • During the Neolithic period and immediately after, humanity made a giant leap in culture • Toward the end of the last Ice Age, forests and grasslands began to appear in many areas • In a period of 5,000 years, people gradually moved from hunting & gathering to producing food • New agricultural methods came about • This led to massive changes in the way people lived!
Neolithic Revolution • This revolution took place slowly • Took place at different times in different parts of the world • The crops that Neolithic people developed varied from place to place • Farming made life easier for people • Brought a steady food supply • Allowed them to live in one place longer
Neolithic Revolution • Farming also allowed people to create villages and small societies • Crude houses were constructed with mud bricks • Several related families usually lived in one house
Neolithic Revolution • Neolithic farmers invented the plow and trained oxen to pull it. • Neolithic villagers invented the loom and began to weave linen and wool • They learned how to make jewelry and better weapons • People created calendars to measure the seasons & determine when to plant crops
Neolithic Revolution • People began caring about boundary lines and rules of inheritance because their food supply depended on land ownership. • As villages began competing for land and water, warfare was created. • Neolithic people believed in deities or gods and goddesses
Culture • Culture is a term for the knowledge and achievements passed on from one generation to another to form the way of life shared by a group of people. • Culture includes: • the knowledge a group of people have • the language they speak • the ways in which they eat and dress • their religious beliefs • their achievements in art and music.
Language • What benefits did language offer to humanity? • Made it possible for people to work together (organize duties, give directions) • Enabled people to exchange ideas about the world • Provided a way for people to socialize and entertain each other (storytelling) • Most important of all, it allowed people to pass history and culture on from one generation to another
Jericho • Agriculture and irrigation began in an area of the Middle East called the Fertile Crescent. • The world’s first known city developed at Jericho in Palestine around 8,000 BC. • Walls were built around Jericho to protect its agricultural surplus from nomadic raiders.
Jericho • Agriculture and other technologies spread fastest in Eurasia for several reasons: • much of Eurasia lies in a temperate zone suitable for agriculture • Eurasia had more plants and animals that could be raised by humans • and it had more people
