1. The Agricultural Revolution
The Neolithic Era
8000BCE–3500BCE
AP World History

2. Steps towards the Neolithic Era
Before the Neolithic Era was the Paleolithic Era.
Hunting and gathering.
Discovery of Tools.
Flint points, axes, weapons (the spear and the bow and arrow), snares, and hooks.
Changing from gathering and scavenging to hunting.
The development of hunting societies was the first form of social organization.
Discovery of Fire.
Fire provided heat and light, which expanded the food supply.
The cooking of foods made for more edible, palatable, and sanitary foods.
The discovery of techniques to preserve fire and to make fire through combustion is a key discovery of humankind.

3. Steps towards the Neolithic Era
Invention of Agriculture.
Agriculture refers to a series of discoveries.
These include the domestication, culture, and management of plants and animals.
Agriculture led to historical social changes.
Agriculture is the basis for civilizations.
Invention of the Wheel
The basis for the mechanical and transportation revolution.
Makes the technologies of ceramics and spinning possible.

4. What was the Neolithic Era?
Neolithic means the new stone age.
This era is characterized as the time period in which farming techniques evolved.
Irrigation and the plow.
Domestication of plants and animals.
Agriculture required nomadic people to become sedentary.
Populations began to rise in areas where plants and animals domesticated.
A return to hunting and gathering would be impossible.
Early forms of agriculture were very labor intensive.

5. The Advantages and the Results of Agriculture
Steady food supplies.
Greater populations.
Leads to organized societies.
Results
Heavily dependant on certain food crops.
failure = starvation.
Disease from close contact with animals, humans, & waste.
Cannot easily leave sites. =

6. Where did it all begin? Mesopotamia. Region of modern day Pakistan.
Modern day Iraq.
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Also know as the Fertile Crescent.
Region of modern day Pakistan.
Indus River Valley.
Northern China.
Egypt.
Nile River.
Central America.

7. The Spread of Agriculture

8. Agricultural Diffusion
Independent Development
Southwest Asia.
wheat, peas, olives, sheep, and goats.
China & Southeast Asia.
rice, millet, and pig.
Americas.
corn, beans, potatoes, and llamas.
Development through Diffusion
Europe.
West and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Indus River Valley.
Rice cultivation.

9. How did Agriculture Changed the Way of Life?
Populations became more sedentary and worked longer hours.
On average, families could produce five times what it needed.
This created a surplus.
Sedentary life caused an increase in population.
Fertility rates increased.
Villages grew into towns which eventually grew into cities.
The growth of cities would no occur until after the Neolithic Era.

10. How did Agriculture Changed the Way of Life?
Specialized trades begin, outside of farming.
Metal workers, potters, weavers, priests, scribes, artists, bureaucrats, aristocrats, law-makers, traders, etc.
This is the creation of social differentiation.
Time to think allowed for new inventions.
Writing, astronomy, architecture, city-planning, etc.
Unfortunately, this also led to an increase in diseases.
Smallpox, measles, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, etc.

11. Creation of Cities The following cities emerged between 8000–7000 BCE
Jericho.
West bank of Jordan River.
Catal Huyuk.
Central Anatolia.
Modern day Turkey.
Danpo.
China.
Harappa.
Modern day Pakistan.
The number of cities in the world would not increase until between 4000–3000 BCE.
Do we have a civilization yet?

12. Jericho 10,010 years later

13. Jericho 10,010 years later

14. Emerging City-States
Agricultural populations begin to spread out, displacing or assimilating nomadic groups.
Farming groups grew large enough for advanced social organization.
Early forms of warfare are believed to be between people living in river valleys and those in the mountain regions.
This would also led to inequality.

15. Emerging City-States
A cycle of warfare and peace between nomads and sedentary people would occur throughout history.
Trade vs. Raid.
Warfare resulted as city-states competed for land.
Warfare also led to the emergence of permanent, centralized bureaucracies.
Originally led by priests.
These are known as “states”.

16. From Chiefdoms to States
Ranked society.
States
Class society.
Competition among chiefdoms drives state formation.
Warfare and trade push for the creation of states.

17. Functions of the State Law are created to stop internal disorder.
Defense against external threats.
Redistribute resources from producers to consumers.
Appease the gods to maintain harvests.

18. Social Inequality
Evidence of social inequality beginning during the early years of the Neolithic Era.
Access to food and land was based on kinship.
Individuals captured during warfare were enslaved.
Slavery and inequality were later legally instituted through Mesopotamian law codes,
Assyrian law code.
The Code of Hammurabi
Some women from poorer families were sold into domestic slavery.
This is the origin of veiling.

19. Role of Women Women generally lost status under patriarchal systems.
Women had limited opportunities.
Worked mainly in food production.
Most women lacked the same social rights as men.

20. From Copper to Bronze
Metal work for essential for development of tools & weapons.
Early settlements gradually shifted from copper to the stronger alloy bronze by 3,000 BCE
This began the Bronze Age.
Metal work spread throughout communities slowly just as agriculture did.

21. Advances in Technology
Wheeled Transportation
Saved labor.
Allowed for the transport of large loads.
Increased trade.
Potters Wheel.
Allowed for the construction of more durable clay vessels and artwork.
Irrigation & Driven Plows.
Allowed for an increase in food production.
Population growth.

22. Environmental Effects
Deforestation in places where copper, bronze, and salt were produced.
How did this happen?
Erosion and flooding where agriculture disturbed soil and natural vegetation.
Extinction of large land animals and weed plants due to hunting & agriculture.
Why do weeds matter?