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The Neolithic Revolution
Introduction
By about 40,000 years ago, Homo
sapiens had become fully modern in
their physical appearance. With a
shave, a haircut, and a suit, an early
Homo sapien would have looked like a
businessman. However, over the
following thousands of years, the
human way of life underwent incredible
changes. People developed new
technology, artistic skills, and most
importantly, agriculture.
Define: Agriculture
Flow Chart
What are some basic things that
humans need to survive?
What are some problems of a huntinggathering society?
How does agriculture fix these problems?
The Discovery
For thousands of years, humans of the Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age) were nomads.
Nomads wander from place to place following a food source, rather than building a permanent
settlement. Nomadic people were known as hunter-gatherers, because their only way of
getting food was by hunting animals or by foraging (gathering) plants. This was rather
inefficient, as it took about 1,000 calories of work in order to produce 1,000 calories of food.
The lack of food meant that these nomadic groups could only support around 30 people at the
most, making it impossible to develop a civilization. However, this all changed with the
discovery of agriculture.
The Neolithic Revolution
The discovery of farming was
accidental. It is suggested that around
8,000 years ago nomadic people
scattered seeds near a regular
campsite, and then returned the next
season to find new crops growing.
This discovery would begin the
Neolithic Revolution, or agricultural
revolution, and forever change the
world. The shift from a hunting and
gathering culture to a food-producing
culture represents one of the greatest
discoveries of mankind.
How can we get food?
1.
2.
3.
Early Farming Methods
Some groups practiced slash-and-burn farming, in which they cut trees or grasses and
burned them to clear a field. The remaining ashes were then used as fertilizer. Farmers
planted crops for a year or two, and then they moved onto a new area of land. After several
years, the trees and grass grew back, and the farmers repeated the slash-and-burn process.
Domestication
Over time, people learned to change plants to make them more useful. They planted only the
largest grains or the sweetest fruits because they were more desirable to harvest. Early
man’s knowledge of wild animals also played a key role in the taming of wild animals. Both
the selective growing of plant life and the taming of wild animals is known as domestication.
Define: Domestication
Types of Plants Domesticated
Types of Animals Domesticated
Agriculture Changes Societies
The Neolithic Revolution brought huge changes to people’s lives. With survival more certain,
people could focus on activities other than finding or hunting food. Domestication of plants
and animals enables people to use plant fibers to make cloth. The domestication of animals
made it possible to use wool from goats and sheep and skins from horses for clothes.
People also began to build permanent settlements. As they started raising crops and
animals, they needed to stay in one place. Then, once people were able to control the food
supply, the world’s population grew. In some areas, farming communities developed into
towns, most notably in the Fertile Crescent and the world’s first permanent civilization –
Mesopotamia.
The Neolithic Revolution led to the
creation of permanent settlements
Directions: In each box, list
the advantage (top line) and
the benefits (bottom line) of
the Neolithic Revolution.
Review your notes to help
you with this task. Each idea
should be answered in
complete sentences.
The Neolithic
Revolution