Name:__________________________ Date: ______ Period: ____
World History
Unit #1
Early Civilizations
Neolithic Achievements
Achievement
Agriculture
Music/Art/Literature
Religion
Building
Government
Warfare
Lifestyle
Explain
Neolithic Revolution
Background
During the Paleolithic Period, which lasts from the beginnings of human life until about 10,000
BCE, people were nomads. They lived in groups of 20 -30, and spent most of their time hunting
and gathering. In these groups, work was divided between men and women, with the men
hunting game animals, and women gathering fruits, berries, and other edibles. These early peoples
developed simple tools such as, spears and axes made from bone, wood, and stone. Human beings
lived in this manner from earliest times until about 10,000 BCE, when they started to cultivate
crops and domesticate animals. This is known as the Neolithic Revolution
The Neolithic Revolution was a fundamental change in the way people lived. The shift from
hunting & gathering to agriculture led to permanent settlements, the establishment of social
classes, and the eventual rise of civilizations. The Neolithic Revolution is a major turning point in human history.
Great Discoveries
About 10,000 BCE, humans began to cultivate crops and domesticate certain animals. This was a change from the
system of hunting and gathering that had sustained humans from earliest times. As a result, permanent settlements were
established. Neolithic villages continued to divide work between men and women. However, women's status declined as
men took the lead in in most areas of these early societies.
New technologies developed in response to the need for better tools and weapons to go along with
the new way of living. Neolithic farmers created a simple calendar to keep track of planting and
harvesting. They also developed simple metal tools such as plows, to help with their work. Some
groups even may have used animals to pull these plows, again making work easier. Metal weapons
were developed as villages needed to protect their valuable resources.
Early River Civilizations
Egypt: Most of Egyptian science and technology revolved around their fascination with the
afterlife. Egyptian scientist were experts at preserving the human body after death through a
process called mummification. Developing this process also gave them insights on how the body
worked, and enable some physicians to better diagnose illness, and even perform surgery.
Egyptians scientist created a fairly accurate calendar, and a system of writing called
hieroglyphics. Egyptian scientist also used advanced mathematical and engineering skills in
the creation of the pyramids, and irrigation systems.
Mesopotamia: The Sumerians in Mesopotamia were the first to build wheeled
vehicles. The built irrigation systems, dykes, and canals for better farming. Sumerian scholars
developed the Cuneiform system of writing, the earliest known system. Sumerian mathematicians
developed early forms of algebra and geometry. Other civilizations in Mesopotamia also contributed
scientific and technological advancements, such as the Hittites, who were the first to mine iron ore to
produce iron, and the Babylonians, who were some of the first people to study the skies, adding
knowledge to the new field of astronomy.
Early China: Under the Shang Dynasty, scholars developed a system of writing that used
pictographs, or drawings of objects, and ideographs, or drawings that expressed a thought or
idea. Examples of this type of writing can be found on oracle bones. Oracle bones are pieces of
bone of turtle shell used by Shang priests to tell the future. They would write a question addressed
to either one of the gods, or an ancestor on the bone, then heat it until it cracked. They believed that
by studying the pattern of cracks, one could learn the answer to the question. Oracle bones are the
oldest example of Chinese writing.