The Neolithic Revolution: The Before and After
E. Napp
Objective:
To identify and explain key concepts for understanding prehistory, early humans, and the
Neolithic Revolution
Do Now:
List two facts about early humans:
1. ________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________
The Before:
 The Earth’s Age  Between five and six billion years old
 The first humans on Earth left no written records
Prehistory – a time before written history
Homo sapiens – Modern humans have existed for 200,000 years
 Archaeologists – Scientists who study the remains of ancient people (both fossils and
artifacts or man-made objects)
-Archaeologists use a method called carbon 14 dating to determine the age of
various archaeological finds…This process measures the amount of radioactive
carbon left in an object…Since all living things absorb radiocarbon from the air and
lose it after death at a specific rate over time, radioactive content can determine age
 Anthropologists – Scientists who study human beings, particularly their physical
and cultural characteristics
 Since history is the recounting of the human story through time, chronology is
important. Chronology is the science that deals with measuring time by regular
divisions and that assigns to events proper dates.
But it is important to remember that different peoples in different places recorded
time differently:
Examples:
Western World  B.C. (Before the birth of Christ)
A.D. (anno Domini or the year of the Lord)
Today, increasingly historians use
B.C.E. (Before the Common Era)
 C.E. (Common Era)
Many anthropologists believe that human life began on the African continent
 Louis and Mary Leakey were important anthropologists. They believed that
human life developed in the Great Rift Valley of Africa.
 Early humans developed unique survival techniques based on culture or
learned behavior and social organization. Culture is a way of life of a group of
people. Language, religion, government, and family structures are some
characteristics of culture.
 Early humans were hunters and gatherers. Early humans were nomads. They
moved in search of food.
The Thinking Questions:
1. How did the earliest humans differ from humans today?
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2. How do individuals learn about early humans?
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3. What is the problem with chronology?
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4. What should learners know about prehistory?
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Matching: Place the Correct Number next to the Correct Term
___________Great Rift Valley
1. It is the science of measuring time
and assigning proper dates.
___________Artifacts
2. She was an anthropologist. She
believed human life began in Africa.
___________Anthropologists
3. It is the age of the Earth.
___________Carbon 14 Dating
___________B.C.
___________C.E.
___________A.D.
___________Between five and six billion
years
___________Mary Leakey
___________Artifacts
___________200,000 years
___________Chronology
___________Religion
___________Culture
___________Archaeologists
4. It is the period of time for which
modern humans have existed.
5. It is located in East Africa. It is a
series of canyons.
6. It is a way of life of a group of
people.
7. It is a component (a part or
element) of culture.
8. It is an abbreviation for the Latin
“In the Year of the Lord.”
9. It deals with measuring time and
assigning events proper dates.
10. They are scientists who study the
remains of ancient peoples.
11. They are man-made objects
excavated by scientists.
12. It is used to measure the age of an
object.
13. Scientists who study humansphysical/cultural characteristics.
14. It means “Before the birth of
Christ.”
15. It is used instead of Anno Domini.
It recognizes different cultures.
The Neolithic Revolution:
• About 12,000 years ago, agriculture was introduced into some communities
Neolithic Revolution During the New Stone Age (Neolithic Period), some
people learned to farm and domesticate animals.
• First locations: River Valleys
-Rivers provided water for farming and irrigation.
-Irrigation: Supplying dry land with water
-The first river valley civilizations:
1. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in present-day Iraq or what was once called
Mesopotamia or the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (By 3500 B.C.E.,
civilization developed)
2. The Nile River Valley in Egypt (By 3100 B.C.E., Egyptian civilization was united)
3. The Indus River Valley in the Indian subcontinent (By 2600 B.C.E., Harappan
civilization developed)
4. The Huang He River or Yellow River in China (By 1750 B.C.E., Shang Dynasty
developed)
•
The introduction of agriculture transformed or changed societies.
-Now, people could:
*Settle and develop permanent settlements (no longer nomads)
*Grow surplus crops
*Build cities
*Develop civilization (complex society with writing, government, and specialization
or people performing different jobs)
The Thinking Questions:
1. A revolution is a complete change. Why was the Neolithic Revolution a revolution?
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2. How are our lives different today because of the Neolithic Revolution?
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3. Where did the Neolithic Revolution begin and why did the Neolithic Revolution
begin there?
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Complete the following crossword puzzle:
It is important to remember that the correct spellings for all answers are presented in this
packet. To successfully complete the puzzle, spellings must be correct. 