The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies

• The end of the ice ages bought environmental changes

  - Pastoralism and agriculture

  - Neolithic Revolution: human beings manipulated their environments

  • Pastoralism and Herding Societies
  • domestication of animals
  • pastoralist or herding societies: groups that domesticated animals but not plants
  • social stratification
  • nomadic lifestyles: highly mobile groups
  • expert horseback riders
  • used wheeled vehicles
  • Cultural diffusion: helping to spread new technologies
  • compound bow and arrow
  • iron weapons
  • Agriculture
  • Agriculture: domestication of plants
  • independent innovation
  • Cultural diffusion was adopted worldwide
  • villages developed into cities
  • private property
  • social classes
  • specialization of labor
  • hierarchy
  • social stratification
  • gender inequity
  • gender division of labor
  • forest clearing and irrigation
  • mining
  • urban planning became more common as agricultural communities became larger and advanced
  • From Stone Age to Ages of Metal: Transitions to Civilizations
  • The increased social complexity of the Neolithic Era led to cities
  • pottery and weaving spread more widely
  • invention of the wheel
  • hoes and plow increased efficiency
  • metalsmithing: shaping metal into tools
  • Bronze Age: a strong and versatile material for tool making
  • the development of iron ended the Bronze Age
  • writing: another transition associated with the transition to civilization
    • helped record oral traditions
  • Ancient veneration remained common, but people also turned to polytheism
    • polytheism: the worship of many gods

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