Neolithic Revolution 8 000 BCE
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Neolithic means New Stone Age
The greatest revolutionary periods in the history of humanity
People began to abandon a semi-nomadic lifestyle to begin farming.
Humans made a conscious change to do this
Humans learned to harness nature (adapt their environment) by
planting crops and domesticating animals
Factors that contributed to the Neolithic Revolution
 Had learned about plants and animals from observation
 Corralling animals caused them to be domesticated
 Spilt seeds grew, women began to plant seeds
 Could control their food supply
 End of Ice Age (30 000 BCE) caused a wetter, warmer climate=more
plants
 End of Ice Age= rise in population, land more scarce, agriculture was
given the edge (16 km can support 1 hunter gatherer or 100
agriculturists)
Use of Animals and Plants
 Animals cattle, sheep, goats and pigs
 Supply milk, fleece, leather and meat
 Grains used to make pottage (thick soup)
 Also made beer from barley and mead from honey
Improvement of tools
 Sickle made of antler and flint, farmer could harvest enough wheat
in 10 days to last 6 months
 Hoes, axes made land clearing and tilling more efficient
 Other innovations:
Specialization
Trade
Long Term Effects