Human+Origins+7.5&7.6

=<7.4 ............................................................................................. 7.6>=

=**Describe how the invention of agriculture related to settlement, population growth, and the emergence of civilization.**=

//**Focus Question: How did agriculture improve settlement and population growth?**//

 * Topics on the Page **
 * === Neolithic Revolution t…….. === || === Rise of Villages …….. === || === Population Growth …….. === || === Emergence of Social Classes …….. === ||

**The Transition from the Paleolithic Era to the Neolithic Revolution (13,000 - 8000 BC)**
Before the invention of agriculture, homo sapiens were dependent upon hunting and gathering for their survival. Often these hunters would follow their food sources which would migrate depending on the season. The Hunter/Gatherer time period in history ranges roughly from 2 million to 10,000 BC and is known as the Paleolithic Era, or Stone Age, due to the stone tools that were used then.


 * **The Rise of Agriculture:** By 8000 BC, an important transition had occurred. Societies moved from relying on hunter/gathering to farming and domestication as a means of subsistence.


 * **Gradual Transition:** The shift from hunter/gather to farmer was not one that happened overnight. Many scholars believe it was a gradual process and hard to pinpoint a specific reason.
 * **One principle reason may have been //Climate Change//.** When the Ice melted from the last Ice Age, this may have changed migration patterns leading to a lack of animals to hunt. The warmer temperatures then provided a solution that was to begin to farm.

**The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies**

 * For the first time, different classes in society emerged. Tools developed with which to better farm.
 * All Agricultural societies emerged along different river valleys. Examples of these were The Nile, Euphrates, Indus, Huang, and Yangtze.
 * For more, see The River Valley Civilization Guide
 * See Mother River, from China Yellow River Foundation

[|Neolithic Societal Development from AP Worldpedia] describes this process as well as what tools emerged during this time

[|Development of Agriculture] details the rise of agriculture across the world as well as the domestication of animals

[|Origins of Agriculture] goes in depth about the science of domestication of plants as well as the history across the globe.


 * The Neolithic Revolution and the Beginnings of Civilization A good general description of what happened, where, and what developed from this.
 * Crash Course Video with John Green talking about the Agricultural Revolution.
 * [|Stories from the Stone Age] is a 15 part documentary that covers the history of nomads becoming farmers.
 * [|Neolithic Agricultural revolution] An engaging video that concisely and accurately explains why the agricultural revolution happen
 * Agriculture And The Origins Of Civilization is a website that explains the Neolithic Revolution in Africa and in the Middle East.
 * [|Archaeologists Find Ancient Evidence of Cheese-Making]from NPR (December 12, 2012)

Mysteries of Catalhoyuk!is a website that allows students to visit a archaeological dig of a 9,000 year-old town in Turkey.


 * Lesson plan that discusses the Neolithic Revolution and includes a worksheet, pictures, and maps.
 * Lesson plan that discusses the impacts of the Neolithic Revolution and includes a worksheet activity as well as a timeline of the revolution.

The ability to stay in one place for a longer period of time, in contrast to the nomadic life of a hunter gatherer, allowed for surpluses in food. With the success of crops and reliance on agriculture, the first settlements were created. Domestication of animals, such as dogs, goats, sheep, and pigs.

**Rise of villages and cities**

 * The modern village owes thanks to the Neolithic Revolution. With a sedentary lifestyle, settlements became formed, and this naturally led to the development of villages.
 * Old wall in Jericho is the first place that the Neolithic era started in the entire world. The Tel Es-Sultan springs was the first site to build homes, grow plants and keep animals in the world.
 * [[image:Jericho_-_Tel_Es-Sultan7.jpg width="312" height="272" align="right" caption="Tel Es-Sultan "]]The rise of agriculture arose in many different parts of the world independently, and all had similar impacts.
 * More sustainable, advanced, permanent homes were built.
 * The building of community/ritual centers, better systems of food storage, and more attention to fortification also sprang up

**Population Growth**
Women, unlike when caring for newborns while traveling made large families a rarity, began to expand families at a more rapid rate.
 * With a sedentary lifestyle, humans found themselves with a more sustainable lifestyle
 * Food was now in surplus allowing people to survive droughts and famine.
 * Population was less exposed to the harshness of nature that hunter gatherers experienced; making survival and life expectancy greater.

Women lost significant ground to men in matters of social and economic matters.
 * Civilization and Job Specialization**
 * With the rise of villages and permanent settlements, specializations of trade arose.
 * Plastered skull and religious practices Gave rise to religious practices by the evidence of plaster skulls found in Levant area.
 * skilled professions such as pottery, tool-making, weaving, and carpentry are examples.
 * created a powerful hierarchy of merchants, quasi-class system
 * Government structures arose
 * ruling class enforced laws, commissioned public works, even imposed a tributary finance system to pay for their endeavors, i.e. taxes
 * not everything about the birth of agriculture was good however.
 * ruling class enforced laws, commissioned public works, even imposed a tributary finance system to pay for their endeavors, i.e. taxes
 * not everything about the birth of agriculture was good however.

**Emergence of Social Classes and Local Governments**

 * During the Neolithic Revolution, it was generally the strongest men in society who would go out and hunt for food and fight off enemies.
 * With that, they became the leaders of their respective villages, creating a social class in which they were the dominant ones
 * Priests and Warriors were at the top of power in their villages, while farmers and other workmen were at the bottom
 * It is now believed that as a result of the growth of agricultural societies, women's roles in society declined. Hunter-gather societies are thought to have given women higher status in societies.

Regents Prep--> Great link which summarized the Neolithic Revolution and the development of settlement through agricultural terms

Study on the decline of women in Neolithic Societies

**The Rise of Complex Religions**
- More time and a more advanced society allowed people to build religious artifacts and develop more complex religions. One of the most well known examples of this was at the end of the Neolithic Age called Stonehenge. - Stonehenge is an amazing ancient religious site in England built around 3100 BC. - Its history and meaning is clouded in mystery, but it is believed that Stonehenge was an important religious site for the Pagan religion of the time.

[|National Geographic - The Secrets of Stonehenge 2016 Documentary]

Visit here for a fun way to encourage class participation for understanding the Neolithic Revolution and the importance of agriculture from The University of Chicago!


 * Conclusion**: The introduction of agriculture and the domestication of animals created a surge in innovation and revolutionary techniques that created a more civilized, structured, and modern society.
 * The advancements made in social, economic, and agricultural development during the Neolithic Revolution are still prevalent in today's society.
 * The way we live today resembles how people lived during the Neolithic era: Close to other people in towns and cities, eating food grown on a farm, with leisure time as part of the day, and a part of complex systems of religion and government.