1. Definitions
The wide-scale transition of many human cultures from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to one of agriculture and settlement.
Nutrient rich sediment deposited after the flooding of rivers.
An area of land drained by a river and it’s branches.
The process of taming an animal and keeping as a pet or on a farm.
The science of breeding, feeding and tending to domesticated animals especially farm animals

2. What is the Neolithic Revolution?
Transition from Hunting & Gathering to Agriculture Settlement
Characterized by the growing of cereal grains and other domesticated crops and domesticated animals.

3. Agriculture Vs. Hunting & Gathering
Domestication of plants
Selective breeding of cereal grasses e.g. barley
Why switch to grains?
Beer!
Beer has advantages (beyond the intoxicating effects and taste) high B vitamin content, essential amino acid lysine and it was safer to drink than water as the brewing process killed off bacteria and viruses.

4. What made it possible to grow cereal grains?

5. Flooding & Silt
The rivers that all early civilizations developed around flooded.
This was important because the flooding brought a nutrient rich soil called silt.
Because of silt crops grew really well…really really well…like crazy good…like so good it would blow your mind how well these crops were growing…

6. So why did flooding occur and where did all that sweet sweet silt come from?
Two words…River Basins
A river basin is the area of land drained by a river and it’s branches

7. Tigris, Euphrates, & Indus

8. Yellow & Yangtze

9. Animal Domestication What is Domestication?
The process of taming an animal and keeping as a pet or on a farm.
Animals that were domesticated
Canis Lupus Familiaris (Dogs)
13,000 BCE
Used for hunting

10. Goats
Used for fiber, meat, milk, leather.
10,000 BCE

11. Sheep Used for fiber (wool) and meat (mutton) & milk.
9,000 – 8,500 BCE

12. Pigs
Used for meat and leather.
9,000 BCE

13. Cattle Used for meat, milk, leather & hides, plowing & transportation.
8,000 BCE

14. Donkey
Used for transportation, plowing, meat
5,000

15. Water Buffalo
Used for plowing, transportation, meat.
4,000 BCE

16. Dromedary Camel Used for transportation, plowing, milk, & meat.
4,000 BCE

17. Horse
Used for transportation, milk, meat, & plowing.
3,500 BCE

18. Yak
Used for milk, transportation, plowing, & meat
2,500 BCE

19. Bactrian Camel Used for milk, transportation, plowing, meat, & fiber.
2,500 BCE

20. Llama & Alpaca Used for transportation, pack animal, fiber & meat.
2,400 BCE

21. Man modifies beasts
Domestication of animals for animal husbandry (the science of breeding, feeding and tending to domesticated animals especially farm animals).
Animal husbandry involves selecting for desirable traits e.g. size, temperament, growth rate, etc.

22. These changes took place over millennia.
Man modifies the environment
changing the environment to provide space for fields and grazing
These changes took place over millennia.

23. Advantages to Cities and Agriculture
Introduction to Trade
Time to invent machines and other tools
Larger population
Exposure to ideas
Specialization of labor

24. Disadvantages to Cities and Agriculture
Crime
Disease
Patriarchy
Free-riding
War