Improvements in agriculture, production, trade and transportation Neolithic Era

Pottery

pottery Handmade Usually monochrome Shapes were few Decoration (where it existed) was incised or painted and was either a linear or geometric motif Utilitarian, food storage, funerals, rituals

Plows

Turn and break up soil, bury crop residues and control weeds First used digging sticks Digging sticks were made with handles for pushing or pulling Wheel-less plows were pulled by animals

Woven textiles

Drew on basketry techniques Cloth could be woven from wool or flax Weights designed for spinning are common Fragments of fine woven cloth survive in graves at Catal Huyuk as early as 5800BC

metallurgy

This term includes the process of extracting metals and all the different stages involved in shaping them into useful objects Copper, lead, silver and gold attracted Neolithic people due to bright color and simple hammering Extremely important in the story of humans controlling their environment

Wheels and wheeled vehicles

Wheels It’s a mystery who invented it Invented approx. 8,000BCE in Asia (probably) Oldest one found in Mesopotamia Diagrams on clay tablets show the use of a potter’s wheel 3,500BCE