Name: _______________________________
Binder Number: _______
Pros and Cons of the Neolithic
Revolution
When discussing the Neolithic Revolution, we often focus on the benefits of the start of
civilization. We do not usually focus on some of the cons that naturally arise along with the
benefits. For example, one problem with farming is that you are very vulnerable on the weather
and environment around you. Droughts, famine, plant disease, and pests are also something
new that must be dealt with in these new agricultural societies.
Define: Drought
Define: Famine
Disease among people and animals is another concern. When people are living together they
share germs. The increased likelihood of illness, as well as the types of sicknesses contracted,
become major problems. Some of the diseases people now got from living in a permanent
settlement are smallpox, cholera, influenza, and polio. These diseases are truly deadly, and
can wipe out a group of people if they do not have a way to treat it or keep it from spreading.
Finally, being nomadic, walking, and hunting on a daily basis impacted our bodies greatly.
Hunters-gatherers were generally more physically fit and had better teeth than agricultural
people. By having a small percentage of the population farm, the rest of a society did not have
to take on the hard work of farming and we begin to see sharp increase in obesity. Also, since
humans were changing to a more carbohydrate, high sugar diet that is associated with farming,
we notice that oral hygiene begins to suffer. There are more than 700 different types of bacteria
live in the mouth. The bacteria in a human mouth feasts on carbohydrates and sugars and this
bacteria can cause bleeding gums which gives the bacteria direct access to the bloodstream.
Issues such as heart disease, gum disease, and heart attacks can be directly tied to poor oral
hygiene.
These are just some examples of the cons of the change from the hunter-gatherer society to an agricultural
society. There are of course many more that were not mentioned here. I thought it interesting to emphasize the
disadvantages, since we are still struggling with many of them today, gathering in dense populations as we do.
Disease and food quality and abundance are still major worries, although we are finding ways to deal with both
issues.
Paleolithic Age
2.6
million
years
ago
Neolithic Age
8,000
BCE
How did humans get food during the Paleolithic Age? What is the Paleolithic Age also known as?
How did humans get food during the Neolithic Age?
The Neolithic
Revolution
Cons
The Neolithic
Revolution
Pros
Crash Course- The Agricultural
Revolution
Note: The Agricultural Revolution is another name for the Neolithic Revolution
1. 15,000 years ago, humans lived in what type of society?
2. What was the best hunting gig in the prehistoric world? What two reasons made it such a
good way of getting food?
3. What are some advantages (3) and disadvantages (2) of agriculture?
Advantages
Disadvantages
4. What is one theory why people may have first started farming?
5. List 3 more negatives of agriculture.