“With the introduction of agriculture mankind entered upon a long period of meanness, misery, and madness, from which they are only now being freed from by the beneficent operation of the machine.” E. Napp Bertrand Russell

The Neolithic Revolution E. Napp

Beginning around 12,000 years ago Domestication of plants and animals Growing populations Permanent settlements New diseases from close proximity to animals Cities, states, and sometimes empires Increased impact on environment More food and resources from much smaller areas of land E. Napp

Global warming that began 16,000 years ago Around 11,000 years ago, Ice Age was over Migration of Homo sapiens across planet New conditions for agriculture - Natural flourishing of wild plants, especially cereal grasses - Extinction of some large mammals E. Napp

Locations: occurring separately and independently Fertile Crescent Present-day Iraq, Syria, Israel, and southern Turkey Variety of plants and animals for domestication After 9,000 BCE, figs, wheat, barley, rye, peas, lentils, sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle domesticated Use of sun-dried mud bricks and more sophisticated tools E. Napp

Eastern part of Sahara, present-day Sudan Between 10,000 and 5,000 years ago, Sahara desert did not exist Cattle domesticated Donkey domesticated Sub-Saharan Africa experienced widely scattered farming practices - Sorghum, teff, yams, oil palm trees, okra, and kola nuts Scattered locations of domestication generated less productive agriculture E. Napp

Coastal Andean regions, Mesoamerica, Mississippi Valley, Amazon basin Americas Coastal Andean regions, Mesoamerica, Mississippi Valley, Amazon basin Absence of animals that could be domesticated Only one (llama/alpaca) large mammal could be domesticated Lacked sources of protein, manure, and power that domesticated animals provided Lacked rich cereal grains Had maize or corn, first domesticated in southern Mexico by 4000 to 3000 BCE North/South Orientation of Americas impacted progress of Agricultural Revolution Distinct climatic and vegetation zones Agricultural practices had to adapt E. Napp

Globalization of Agriculture Extension of farming in two ways: Gradual spread of agricultural techniques without extensive movement of agricultural people Slow colonization or migration of agricultural peoples - Conquest, absorption, or displacement of earlier gatherers and hunters E. Napp

Movement of culture associated with spread of agriculture Agriculture spread from Southwest Asia into Europe, Central Asia, Egypt, and North Africa between 6500 and 4000 BCE Indo-European languages, probably originated in Turkey and widely spoken from India to Europe Movement of culture associated with spread of agriculture E. Napp

In what is now southern Nigeria or Cameroon around 3000 BCE, Bantu-speaking people moved east and south - Spread agriculture, cattle-raising, later iron- working skills, and languages Austronesian-speaking people, from Southern China, to Philippines and Indonesia E. Napp

The Culture of Agriculture An increase in human population Greater productivity of agriculture supported more people - Example: agricultural settlement uncovered near Jericho in present-day Israel had approximately 2,000 people Living close to animals subjected humans to new diseases Smallpox, flu, measles, chicken pox, malaria, tuberculosis, rabies Permanent settlements An explosion of technological innovation E. Napp

Secondary products revolution” - Beginning around 4000 BCE - Involved new uses for domesticated animals - Milk their animals, harvest their wool, enrich their soil with manure Growing impact on the environment Soil erosion and deforestation in some areas New social hierarchies Class divisions and patriarchal systems E. Napp

- Depend far more extensively on animals - Herders Variations Pastoral Societies - Depend far more extensively on animals - Herders Agricultural Village Societies - Retained equality and freedom - Without kings or aristocracies Example: Catalhoyuk, an early agricultural village in southern Turkey, was home to several thousand people but had few signs of inherited social inequality - Organized around kinship groups Chiefdoms - Inherited positions of power and privilege introduced a more distinct element of inequality - Chiefs could seldom use force to compel obedience E. Napp

What was revolutionary about the Agricultural Revolution? Strayer Questions What accounts for the emergence of agriculture after countless millennia of human life without it? In what different ways did the Agricultural Revolution take shape in various parts of the world? In what ways did agriculture spread? Where and why was it sometimes resisted? What was revolutionary about the Agricultural Revolution? What different kinds of societies emerged out of the Agricultural Revolution? E. Napp

World Historians recognize three distinct phases in the human journey: The Paleolithic Era: Literally means “Old Stone Age” Gathering and hunting way of life Represents over 95% of the human journey The Neolithic Era: About 12,000 years ago, agriculture was introduced into some communities Permanent settlements and specialization developed The Industrial Era: Beginning in England around 1750 The mechanization of agriculture and industry E. Napp

E. Napp

What are three critical phases of the human journey? Questions: Why is it important to consider Cosmic History when studying the human journey? What are three critical phases of the human journey? What were the beneficial aspects of gathering and hunting societies? How did the introduction of agriculture transform societies? Why did agriculture spread if it was associated with obvious disadvantages? Assess the impact of industrialization. Why has industrialization spread despite its disadvantages? E. Napp

E. Napp