TK

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