First Farmers: The Revolutions of Agriculture 10,000 B.C.E B.C.E. A.P. World History, Chapter 2

2 Today’s Objective... Today we will summarize the Neolithic Revolution and its effect on developing civilizations. 2

3 Major Focus of Chapter: The first occupation for early mankind= farming and agriculture: This will shape their politics, society, and belief systems.

4 Laying the Foundation: Population Growth More people to manage, feed, and house Settling Villages S e e d s o f g o v e r n i n g e m e r g e Spread of Disease Spread by animals and later close dwelling people Improved Technology For agriculture and later protection Development of States Empires will develop over time Culture Evolves Birth of written language and later literature

5 Neolithic Revolution aka Agricultural Revolution Before the Neolithic Revolution most of early human activity was centered on gathering food. The shift from gathering food to growing resulted in more time for innovation and socialization. Domestication of Plants Led to increased population Societies hunted and farmed simultaneously Domestication of Animals provided: a source of energy (plow) calories from protein (meat) Animal dung fertilized the soil Big Picture opportunities

6 Very Important Theme To Remember… Anytime food production increases so does the population. Healthier People who procreate More babies survive Infancy survive Infancy More Food

7 What C Common Factors Allowed Humans to Settle? Food Crisis: led to the need for more food led to the deliberate cultivation of certain plants species, especially cereals. In fertile areas, plants naturally grew relatively dense but required human intervention in order to be efficiently harvested. the broad spectrum diet: set the stage for domestication and rise of permanent agricultural settlement. Development of agricultural tools led to horticulture: The variants of agricultural life depended on geographic elements and which animals were naturally found in the area.

8 Ancient World I. Four places in the Ancient World developed complex political & social organization Mesopotamia (Tigris & Euphrates) Egypt (Nile) Harappa (Indus) China (Huang He and Yangtze)

9 Fertile Crescent Out of the mountains of Anatolia, ravines and gullies collect water that becomes the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Flowing southward to the Persian Gulf across the Middle East (Syria and Iraq) the rivers provide the irrigation need in the dry region. well-watered land that hugs the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea This region gave birth to Middle Eastern civilization more than 8,000 years ago. Plant and animal domestication, irrigation, and new tools launched an agricultural revolution that transformed roaming hunter-gatherers into a socially complex, permanent society.

10 Agriculture Diffuses Globally! As people move and interact with others, they start exchanging idea tools and their domesticated plants and animals.

11 The Bantu Migration: Reasons 1. Drought and famine 2. Population increase which resulted into over crowding 3. The constant attacks (external pressure) from stronger tribes in West Africa and the Nile valley. 4. Internal conflicts from the Bantu tribes 5. Epidemics and diseases/natural calamities 6. Search for fertile land 7. Curiosity 8. Group influence 9. The Bantu migrated in order to export their iron-working culture.

12 Bantu Migrations: The Effects Positive: Intro of iron working Intro of new crops e.g. yams, bananas The absorbed other tribes: This led to a widespread Bantu languages Intro centralized administration: Chiefdom Intro a system of building permanent homes The knowledge of iron smelting which the Bantu introduced led to the making of hoes and pangas for tilling and clearing land, the bows, arrows and spears for defense and protection. Intro subsistence agriculture: they grew enough food for home consumption, and the rest could be kept in case of shortages, or be exchanged in barter trade. They led to a rise of large states and bigger tribes in East Africa Negative: Depopulation: caused by the frequent attacks Loss of culture due to cultural absorption Transformation of languages into new ones

13 Pastoral Societies First emerged 12,000 years ago pasture animals for food and transportation. Pastoral societies still exist today, primarily in the desert lands of North Africa where horticulture and manufacturing are not possible. Domesticating animals allows for a more manageable food supply than do hunting and gathering. able to produce a surplus of goods storing food for future use a possibility. desire to develop settlements with stability comes the trade of surplus goods between neighboring pastoral communities. Traders, healers, spiritual leaders, craftspeople, and people with other specialty professions appear.