1. Human Migration and the Neolithic Revolution

2. Emergence of Humans
Homo sapiens emerged 250, ,000 years ago in East Africa
Walked upright
Used symbolic language
Organized by tribes and clans
Less than 50 people in a group

3. Ice Age (110,000-10,000 BCE)

4. Early Human Migration 45,000 BCE 30,000-15,000 BCE 70,000 BCE

5. Paleolithic Society Nomadic: moved regularly from place to place
Hunter-gatherers: hunted animals and gathered wild grains, nuts, roots, fruits and vegetables
Gathering accounted for up to 70% of diet
Egalitarian society
Beginning of religious beliefs to explain how the world works
Shamans: individuals who could communicate with spirits and had healing powers
Conducted religious rituals

6. Chauvet Cave Art Discovered in 1994
Some of the oldest Paleolithic cave paintings, dating to 30,000BCE

7. Lascaux Cave Art
Discovered by a group of French boys in 1940 in southern France
Primarily depict local animals (bison, deer, ibex, horses, wolves, bears, etc)
Created 15, BCE

8. Lascaux Cave Art

9. Altamira Cave Art Discovered in 1880 in northern Spain
Created around 14,000BCE
Caused debate among scholars, who did not believe Paleolithic humans were capable of such art

10. Gobekli Tepe

11. Gobekli Tepe Built ca. 10,000 BCE in southeastern Turkey
Temple and ceremonial center for semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers
Columns depicted animals
No signs of long-term settlement

12. Causes of the Neolithic Revolution
Last Ice Age ended 14,000-8,000 BCE
Earth became warmer
More diverse plants and animals emerged and flourished
Extinction of large mammals
Either from climate
change or over-
hunting by humans

13. Neolithic Revolution
Agriculture: deliberate cultivation of plants and animals for consumption by humans
Intensification: Getting more food from less land
Domestication: altering the genetic traits of plants or animals through selective breeding to benefit humans

14. Fertile Crescent Earliest records of agriculture (9000-8000 BCE)
Large concentration of plants and animals that could be domesticated

15. Domestication of Plants
Mesoamerica: genetically-engineered maize (corn) from teosinte
Fertile Crescent: domestication of wheat

16. Tools Hoes and sickles developed to plant and harvest grains
Needles to sew furs and skins
Pots
Stone or clay to store food
Metallurgy: working gold, copper, bronze into jewelry, tools, weapons

17. Spread of Agriculture
Developed independently throughout the world over several thousand years
Diffusion vs. Colonization/Migration

18. Worldwide Agriculture

19. Domestication of Animals
Dogs, sheep, goats, cattle, horses, pigs, camels, reindeer
Used their milk, meat, blood, and labor

20. Pastoralism
Pastoralism: raising and herding livestock for human consumption
Prominent in deserts, steppes, grass, and scrublands
Central Asia, Arabian Peninsula, Sahara Desert, southeastern Africa
Painting from a tomb-chapel of a scribe ca BCE

21. Effects of Neolithic Revolution
Surplus: leftovers for storage or trade
Increased population
Diversification of labor: less people need to find food which allowed people to have other jobs
Urbanization: shift from nomadism to settlements
Villages, eventually cities
Skara Brae in Scotland

22. Çatal Huyuk

23. Çatal Huyuk
Inhabited from BCE
Population of 5,000-10,000

24. Mother Goddess Figurines
Women were likely equal to, if not higher than, men
Beginning signs of agriculture, though still relied on hunting