 Copy the these terms/definitions into your notebook:
 Agrarian – type of society or culture based around
farming and raising livestock.
 Neolithic Era – means “new stone age”; refers to period
when humans came to live in agricultural communities.
 Agricultural Revolution – turning point that began
about 10,000 years ago when humans began to live in
settled communities and raise plants and animals.
 What were the key features of foraging communities?
 What would a day in the life for someone living in a





foraging community?
What tools would they have used?
What type of activities would be the most important
during the day?
What type of home would they have had?
How big would a community be and who would be in
it?
What questions do you still have about humans in the
foraging era?
 For much of the Paleolithic Age the Earth was cold.
 Much of the landmasses were tundra.
 About 15,000 years ago, a “Great Thaw” occurred.
 During the “Great Thaw”:
 Glaciers shrank
 Sea levels rose
 Continental shelves
disappeared
 Temperatures increased
 Plants, forests, and large
expanses of vegetation
grew
 With more vegetation,
animals began to
flourish.
 So many natural
resources that humans
began to settle for long
periods of time.
 What changes the “Great
Thaw” might have
helped produce for
humans?
 Look at the artifacts that were found near the Dnieper
and Dneister Rivers.
 What do you think these artifacts are?
 What observations helped you make this guess?
 Do the items look heavy?
 Do you think the items would be difficult to carry over
long distances?
 Work with a partner to answer the remaining
questions on the worksheet.
 These artifacts come from settled, farming (agrarian)
communities.
 The artifacts represent our first historical “turning
point” in this class.
 A shift from most people foraging to most people
farming.
 We will be examining the
Agricultural Revolution.
 A time when some
foraging humans began
to farm and settle in one
place for very long
periods of time.
 Began about 10,000 years
ago.
 Changes were gradual
and took place over
thousands of years.
 People in some areas
intensified their use of
one spot to find, and
gradually, produce food.
 This shift was not a
conscious choice made
by one group of people,
but something that
unfolded over a long
period of time.
 Look at the World History Timeline in your booklet.
 What eras are covered in this timeline?
 Era of Foragers
 Agrarian Era
 Industrial Era
 According to the timeline, what “turning point” in
World History will we be examining?
 Work with a partner to complete all the questions on
the “World History Timeline Interpretation Guide”.
 What is your favorite fruit or vegetable?
 How long do you think people have been growing and
eating these products?
 You are now going to explore some of the first crops
ever purposefully cultivated by humans.
 Work with a partner to complete the handout.
 Answer the following questions:
 Include at least 2 pieces of evidence from your handouts,
notes or textbook to support each of your answers.
 What is needed for humans to live as foragers?
 What would humans need to live in a village?
 What environmental changes might have changed how
humans lived?
 If humans spent nearly 200,000 years living as foragers,
why did they begin farming and staying in one place?