1-2: the Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies

Name ______Notes 1-2-6

1-2: The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies

Neolithic Revolution = Domestication of animals and plants (farming) which began at end of last ice age (about 12,000 years ago). Led to huge population growth b/c of a more stable food supply. It occurred over long time period, and some remained hunters and gatherers.

Pastoralism and Herding Societies  ______= Domestication of animals but not plants (herding)  Benefits of domesticating animals = transportation, fertilizer, wool/hides for clothing, steady food supply (meat, milk, eggs).  Pastoralism began in grasslands (mostly in Eurasia and Africa)

Pastoral Society  Social ______(social classes) began to develop = warriors became elites, division of labor between men and women increased.  ______= Pastoralists migrated often, following herds of animals. Often came in contact with sedentary societies, so pastoralists played key role in spreading culture (cultural diffusion)  Technology = carts, chariots, bow and arrows, horseback riders, iron weapons.  Environment = Pastoralists would overgraze animals leading to grassland eroding and in some cases starting to become desert (desertification).

Location Production Middle East Wheat, goats Africa Dates, Yams S.E. Asia Rice, Millet Americas Potatoes, Maize New Guinea Taro Agriculture  Agriculture began in the Middle East and spread, although some areas developed agriculture on their own (ex: Americas).

Major Changes Caused by Agriculture  Stable food supply.  Required intensive cooperation and labor.  Led to stationary (sedentary) lifestyle and thus growth of villages and towns.  Concept of private property grew.  Specialization of ______= Had food surplus, not everyone needed to produce food, so some people able to focus on areas other than growing food (this led to social stratification – no more egalitarian society).  ______Society = Bigger division of labor between men and women than hunter/gatherers and pastoralists.  Environment = Forests were cleared and irrigation systems created. From Stone Age to the Ages of Metal: Transitions to Civilization

Neolithic Revolution Led to Formation of Cities  People could live in one place, so cities start forming.  Cities provided protection, trade, political leadership, and spread of religious ideas  Cities led to more specialization of labor and thus more social stratification = political elites, religious clergy, professional soldiers, artisans, traders, merchants, farmers, etc.  Earliest cities = ______(Middle East) and ______Huyuk (Turkey).

Technology Continued to Improve During Neolithic Era  New Technology = Hoes, shovels, chisels, saws.  Major Innovations = Weaving (more clothes available), pottery, and the plow (more land cultivated so more food surplus and more specialization of labor)

Metals  ______(refining ore) and metalworking (shaping metal) began at end of Neolithic Era.  Metallurgy began in the Middle East and China about 4000 B.C.E.  Metal tools better = sharper, more shapes, durable, accurate weapons.  ______Age (3500 B.C.E. – 1200 B.C.E.) = Bronze was first metal used, then replaced by Iron.

Writing  Societies developed writing (______first about 3500 B.C.E.)  Sometimes civilizations existed without writing (ex: ______) but it was rare.

Religion  Animism (polytheistic) not as appealing to people living in sedentary villages and cities.  ______(many gods) spread in different forms, though ancestor worship common.  Permanent worship sites were built.