3 Week common Assessment review The Neolithic revolution

Neolithic Revolution sometimes called the Agricultural Revolution, was the wide-scale transition of many human cultures from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to one of agriculture and settlement Jean-Pierre Bocquet-Appel (July 29, 2011). "When the World's Population Took Off: The Springboard of the Neolithic Demographic Transition". Science. 333 (6042): 560–561. Bibcode:2011Sci...333..560B. PMID 21798934. doi:10.1126/science.1208880. Retrieved June 10, 2012.

Neolithic Revolution Cause & effect - Hunting and gathering bands scattered seeds near campsites resulting in the growth of crops -Shift from food gathering to food producing. -Establishment of permanent settlements and eventually the first cities. - Climate changes that created a rise in temperatures resulted in longer growing seasons and drier land. -Writing developed as a method of record keeping related to farming and flooding of the rivers. -A need for oversight of irrigation systems led to the development of government. -Settled communities created common cultures and were characterized by less social equality in comparison to hunting and gathering societies. -Villages were susceptible to attacks from outsiders and susceptible to natural disasters. -Close proximity of people facilitated the spread of disease.

Development of River Valley Civilizations Causes - Spread of agricultural practices and the domestication of animals allowed for more sophisticated and larger settlements to emerge. - The first large settled societies emerge where there was access to fresh water, along the Tigris/Euphrates, the Nile, the Indus and the Huang He rivers. (Beginning in the middle east) - Periodic flooding of the rivers provided rich fertile soil for sustaining agricultural surplus and increasing populations.

Development of River Valley Civilizations Effects - Civilization emerged with common political, economic, and cultural patterns. - Surplus agricultural output allowed some not to farm and new specialization of labor emerged. - Social divisions became more pronounced as ownership of land became a determinant of wealth. - Organized religions developed, first distinguished as mostly polytheist - Advances were made in mathematics, time keeping, metal working and monumental building - Law codes were introduced