1. AIM:
What were the Far-Reaching Implications of the NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION (NEW STONE AGE)?
Do Now: Explain the drawbacks of the Paleolithic Revolution

2. Paleolithic Life
Nomadic and hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
FOOD INSECURITY – no guaranteed source of food.
Impossible to form settled societies.
D. No social advancement possible.
E. An Ice Age killed off many people and species of plant life.
F. Hard to maintain population stability.

5. II. Dawn of the Neolithic Period
Neo (new) + Lithic (stone) = NEW STONE AGE.
About 10,000 to 8,000 BCE.
USE OF AGRICULTURE
Was it intentional? Accidental? We don’t know!
Climate also warmed – possible to grow
Far-Reaching Implications

6. A STEADY SOURCE OF FOOD.
COMBINED WITH HUNTER-GATHERING, A MORE VARIED DIET.
POSSIBILITY OF GROWING MORE FOOD THAN YOU NEED AT THE TIME, SO YOU CAN STORE FOOD = SURPLUS.
ABILITY TO STAY IN ONE PLACE AND BEGIN TO BUILD A PERMANENT SETTLEMENT.

7. The Neolithic (Agricultural) Revolution
Humans began producing food
Tamed & domesticated animals for their use (dogs, goats, etc.)
Sickle invented for cutting grains; pottery used as containers
Crops grown
People began settling into communities

8. Agricultural Revolution
Invented plow and trained oxen to pull it
Used fertilizer
Invented the loom (to make cloth)
Invented the wheel, bricks, calendars
Warfare began as people competed for land and water
Believed in gods

9. Emergence of Civilization
Early farming villages developed into complex societies known as civilizations

10. III. The Domestication of Animals
Domestication = keeping animals (taming them) for food.
Another source of food (protein).
C. Growing plants and grains + animal protein = better diet and LONGER LIFESPAN.

11. IV. SEDENTARY FARMING
SEDENTARY (not moving; in one place).
Slash-and-burn method of clearing land (burning down an vegetation to clear way for crops.
First crops were probably GRAINS (adaptable and hardy and easy to store).
Sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle.
Animal hides and wool provided clothing.

12. V. Where did the Neolithic Revolution Begin?
Probably in MESOPOTAMIA – the area between the TIGRIS and EUPHRATES Rivers (modern-day Iraq).
C. From there, spread to the FERTILE CRESCENT in modern-day Middle East and Northern Africa.

13. VI. Spread of Farming
Agriculture probably developed independently in other places (trial and error?) and soon there was farming in a number of places.).

14. B. Different crops in different parts of the world, but the same ideas: (a) food security plus (b) surplus.
C. Development of farming tools (hoe, plow, rake)
D. Next step: Using animals to assist in agriculture (such as oxen and cattle)

15. V. Home Sweet Home
Development of HOUSING and formation of VILLAGES.
Improved SOCIAL RELATIONS as people worked together to grow and store food.
DEVELOPMENT OF IRRIGATION (bringing water to the crops) and FERTILIZATION.
Development of COMMON STORAGE AREAS.

16. River Valley Civilizations
Earliest civilizations were in river valleys
Nile River in northeastern Africa
Tigris & Euphrates rivers in Middle East
Indus River in India
Huang He in China
Men & women did specific jobs
There was a form of government

17. The Economy of a Civilization
Artisans (workers skilled in a craft) became more productive & creative
Metalworkers created bronze, a very strong metal
Started to trade over long distances
Led to cultural diffusion = the exchange of goods, ideas, and customs between different cultures

18. The Rise of Cities
Government officials oversaw the collection & distribution of crops
Professional soldiers were hired to guard the territory & trade routes
Led by a king
Developed a writing system
Was first invented by priests as a way of recording religious gifts
Later, used to record battle victories and laws

19. E. Also, special areas for burying the dead.
F. Possibly, special areas for religious observance.