The Neolithic Revolution The appearance of agriculture and pastoralism (maybe the single most important change in history)

The origins of agriculture and domestic animals The origins of agriculture and domestic animals. The development of agriculture and the domestication of animals took place independently in different parts of the world, but the Near East, Mesoamerica, southeast Asia, and China were among the first and most significant regions.

Key things to remember: The Neolithic revolution didn’t happen abruptly, but emerged gradually as a result of trial and error It first appeared in a few places, not everywhere Most people didn’t go through it at first, and some still haven’t On the whole, agriculture was the big winner over pastoralism and hunting and gathering

The key was domestication Domestication is not taming Taming is accustomizing an animal to the presence of humans (many animals have been tamed but not domesticated) Domesticating is changing a plant or animal on the biological level (most plants and animals have never been domesticated)

The process of domestication Notice a desirable trait in a species Separate members of the species from nature Selective breeding (artificial selection) Exaggerate and stabilize desirable trait(s) Change on the biological level

Domesticated Plants There are about 200,000 wild species 12 domesticated plants account for 80% of the tonnage of all crops: Cereals: wheat, corn, barley, rice, sorghum Pulses: soybeans Tubers: potato, manioc, sweet potato Sugar: sugar cane, beet sugar Fruit: banana

Large Terrestrial Domesticates The Major Five: 1. Sheep 2. Cow 3. Goat 4. Pig 5. Horse The Minor Nine: 6. Arabian Camel 11. Water Buffalo 7. Bactrian Camel 12. Yak 8. Llama and Alpaca 13. Bali Cattle 9. Donkey 14. Mithan 10. Reindeer

What was the impact of the Neolithic Revolution?

Consequences of the Neolithic Revolution Agriculture led to a sedentary lifestyle Pastoralism led to a nomadic lifestyle Agriculturalists often used domesticated animals New social institutions emerged: Neolithic villages Pastoralist clan-tribes Agriculture led to enormous productivity increases Agriculture led to significant population increase and density Specialization of technology and skills developed

Dangers of the Neolithic Revolution The vulnerability of monoculture Soil destruction Disease The nomad-sedentary conflict Social disruption