Chapter 2: Early Agricultural Societies

Study for semester exams.

Agricultural Revolution

shift from foraging to farming

Domestication

controlling reproduction of plants/animals

Pastoralists

herders who lived off domesticated animals

Transhumant herder

pastoralists who move seasonally between fixed areas

Fertile Crescent

region in Southwest Asia where agriculture first appeared

Surplus

extra food beyond what a population needs

Sedentary

staying settled in one place

Jericho

one of the earliest known villages

Çatalhöyük

early large farming village; known for art + complex layout

Agrarian

relating to farming/agriculture

Specialization

people doing specific non-farming jobs

Hierarchy

ranked social order

Cultural diffusion

spread of ideas, products, and practices

Domesticated cereal grains

wheat, barley, rice, millet

Farming package

crops + tools + animals developed in one region and spread elsewhere.