1. The Neolithic Revolution

2. Pre-history
Pre-history is a time before written records How can we study pre-history if there are no written records?
Archaeological evidence

3. Early humans
Earliest humans originated in East Africa, then migrated to Europe and Asia

4. Hominids in order of development
Australopithecines
Homo Habilis
Homo Erectus
Neanderthal
Cro-Magnon

5. Paleolithic Age Paleolithic = Old Stone Age
Paleolithic Age- time before 10,000 BCE
Earth’s climate was very cold
People adapted by inventing clothing and learning to build fire for warmth
Humans used very simple tools made of stone
Stone arrowheads for hunting
Pots for cooking
Baskets for gathering
Language developed

6. Paleolithic Age Food came from hunting and gathering
Hunting and fishing for meat, gathering berries, fruits, and wild plants
Men hunted, women and children gathered

7. Paleolithic Age
People were nomadic- moved around, following the movement of herds and ripening plants with no permanent home
Lived in groups of in caves and rocky overhangs
Created records of their existence in pictures found on cave walls- animals they followed, etc.

8. What is a Revolution?
A radical and pervasive change in society
A sudden, complete or marked change in something
The Neolithic Revolution is also called the Agricultural Revolution- what changed?

9. Setting the scene… 10,000 BCE (ish) Ice Age was ending
Climate became more stable- longer growing period, dryer land
Game became more scarce

10. Where it all began Agriculture developed over 2,000-3,000 years
Occurred spontaneously
Not all groups of people evolved into farming- some continued hunting and gathering, others herded
Hunter/gatherers, herders, and farmers co-existed
Agriculture first emerged in Southern Asia, China, and the Americas independently
Then spread to Greece and Egypt

11. Neolithic Revolution Change from hunting/gathering to farming/herding
Planting crops and domesticating animals
Some domesticated animals in closed pens, others herded them to green pastures (pastoralism)
Allowed for a surplus of food to accumulate
Change from nomadic migration to settling in one area and building permanent homes
Became sedentary- no longer had to chase food
Villages become established

12. Types of Agriculture Dry farming Slash and burn Irrigation
First kind of farming developed
Dependent on amount of rainfall
Slash and burn
Clear forest/grassland (ash fertilized the ground)
Clear, farm, harvest, leave
Irrigation
Used rivers to water fields- trenches, ditches, etc.
Required lots of people and organization

13. Effects of the Neolithic Revolution
Surplus of food
Steady source of food increased surplus
Led to:
Improved health
Longer human lifespan
Population increase
New technologies for farming-plows, metal working, etc.

14. Effects of the Neolithic Revolution
Change in work patterns
Division of labor-women take care of the home, men farm and take care of animals
Status of women declines as patriarchal society develops
Specialization
Villages are established, turn into cities
Led to the development of civilizations
Trade and interaction between settlements
Accumulation of possessions
Led to class systems- social status based on abilities and wealth