Unit 1—Foundations

Neolithic Revolution. We begin at about 8,000 BC when village life began in the New Stone Age. . . Also known as the Neolithic Revolution. NEW STONE AGE

A TOTALLY new way of living: From Hunter-Gatherers to Agriculture

INVENTION OF AGRICULTURE Mesopotamians first to engage in agriculture Around 8000 BC Cereal crops Wheat Barley Herd animals Sheep Goats Woman probably first farmer Grain-collecting then noticed that stored wild grain could be grown on purpose

Life Before Agriculture Life After Agriculture Food Supply Shelter Social Structure (government & religion included) Art & Innovation Specialization Language

Life Before Agriculture Food Supply Food gatherers as opposed to food producers Nomadic – roaming existence As the food in an area was consumed, man moved on, looking for another food supply Followed the migration patterns of the herds. Nomadic may not be a term that familiar to all students – particularly ELL students. Be sure to review it’s meaning and describe in detail if necessary. Additional questions you might want to ask about this life: What would someone’s life be like, living as a nomad? What kind of stability is there in a nomadic life? What kind of things could you do, not do

Life Before Agriculture Shelter Nomadic people live on what the environment can provide, such as caves. Temporary shelters made of wood and hides.

Life Before Agriculture Social Structure Social Structure was based on the family. A group of families is called a clan.

Life Before Agriculture Art & Innovation Some drawings and art work have been found. Lascaux Cave Painting in France Primitive weapons and tools Sewing needles Use of fire Your Textbook will more than likely have pictures of the Lascaux Cave Paintings. Also, you may wish to search the internet for pictures you can insert onto the slides.

Life Before Agriculture Specialization Subsistence lifestyle dictated that the number one priority for all family members was to find food.

Life Before Agriculture Language Only verbal communication was used. Symbols were used to mark places of importance.

Development of Agriculture As man learns to farm, he is able to settle in one place and able to acquire more things. Although known as a revolution, these changes occurred independently throughout the world over the course of several thousand years.

Life After Agriculture Food Supply – Sedentary Farmers Food Producing: planted, tended, harvested, and stored crops. Domesticated animals are used for food and as beasts of burden. Hunting supplemented the food supply.

Life After Agriculture Food Supply – Nomadic Pastoralists Developed in areas where the climate limited growing crops. Nomadic pastoralists move with their herds to new feeding areas. Often a means of facilitating communication between sedentary farming societies.

Life After Agriculture Shelter Use of mud bricks as building material Eventually stones were used, leading to rock being quarried and cut for building. Villages located near fields and other reliable food sources. (rivers/sea) Picture of early Neolithic shelters may be found at http://www.hyperbear.com/scotland/pictures/scot-skara-brae.html

Life After Agriculture Social Structure Complex social structures developed which involved when many clans began living in close proximity. Gender separation: Men farmed, herded, and hunted Women did jobs near the home: child-rearing, food preparation, etc. Religion is believed to have been developed to explain the forces of nature Governments developed to organize activities. One Neolithic city in India is thought to have had a population of 6, 000 residents.

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION Originally ruled by council of elders Authority moved to single leader Close-knit society Communal granaries, ovens, and fields Private property limited to personal possessions

Life After Agriculture Art & Innovation Carving and statuary, complex tools such as advances in weapons, plows pulled by animals, building techniques, cloth making and weaving Architecture and building for religious or common use

POSSESSIONS Needs of agriculture and stability Clay pottery Woven baskets Woolen and linen clothing Sophisticated tools and weapons Plow

Life After Agriculture Specialization People begin to specialize in various tasks: (tool maker), stone cutter, potter, basket weaving, early metallurgy. Regional resources are gathered and traded.

Life After Agriculture Language Development of pictographic languages (Egyptian Hieroglyphic) or written language. Developed to keep records concerning food storage & trade.

RESULTS OF AGRICULTURE Required intensification of group organization Neolithic farmers lived in settlements Ranged from 150 (Jarmo) to 2000 (Jericho)

OUTSIDE CONTACTS Neolithic communities had links Walls indicate some fearful Others were more peaceful Obsidian and turquoise in Jericho from several 100’s of miles away Either gifts or received in trade Jericho

Origins and Spread of Agriculture

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Self-actualization (self-knowledge, fulfillment of personal potential) Esteem (autonomy, achievement, recognition) Social (belonging, affection) Safety (security, protection from harm) Physiological (Hunger, thirst, shelter) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

What does it mean to be civilized? Historians have determined 6 characteristics of civilization: Cities Organized central governments Complex religions Social classes Job specialization and the arts Writing

Cities Rivers provided: Rivers provided challenges: water supply transportation food supply from animals Rivers provided challenges: flooding irrigation Required organized, mass labor (corvee) Construction and repair of canals and irrigation ditches Euphrates River

Organized Central Governments Central authority needed to control: Labor Storage of grain Dispersion of foodstuffs among population Early governments first led by priests Later controlled by warrior chiefs or kings

Organized Central Governments Governments became more complex as new responsibilities arose such as: tax collecting law making handling public works projects organizing systems of defense

Complex Religions Generally polytheistic Many gods represented natural forces Others controlled human activities Priests and worshippers tried to gain gods’ favor through complex rituals and sacrifice Directed by unquestionable ruling class of priests King regarded as a god or as a god’s agent

Complex Religions Temples often built to honor specific gods and goddesses Mayan temple Egyptian temple Mesopotamian ziggurat

Social Classes People ranked according to their profession Chief Priests Nobles Wealthy merchants Artisans Peasants/farmers Slaves Egyptian social structure

Social Classes Priestly class is part of the beginning of social differentiation Class structure based on specialization of labor Generated class differences Priests (“We talk to god, you don’t.) Aristocrats/warriors (“We have weapons, you don’t.”) Common people (“I guess we work...?”) Slaves (“Uh, oh!!!”)

Job Specialization and the Arts Artisans specialized in various jobs, such as: Bricklayers Blacksmiths Production of luxuries (Things You Don’t Really Need) Metal technology

Job Specialization and the Arts Created great architecture and art monumental architecture pyramids, ziggurats, big cities huge temples and associated structures to fill the needs of a god-oriented state under the control of the priestly class

Writing Probably first used by priests Earliest writing used pictograms Chinese calligraphy Egyptian hieroglyphs Mesopotamian cuneiform

Writing Symbols later added to represent words and then sounds Scribes were specially trained to read, write, and record information Religion Trade Government

UNIQUENESS OF CIVILIZATION Civilization was not simply next inevitable step from Neolithic Age Many peoples remained at simple food-raising stage for thousands of years—without developing any sort of civilization Only five locations developed civilizations entirely on their own China Indus River Valley Mesopotamia Egypt Central America and Peru