neolithic

NEOLITHIC PERIOD DEFINED AS EARLY START OF AG DEVELOPMENT
More advanced sharp tools
AG not possible until after Ice Age
Domestication of animals (first = dog) and cultivation of plants
Women mostly took care of plants
AG and domestication developed independently across globe

AGRICULTURE BY REGION
Mesopotamia (Tigris + Euphrates) earliest AG
Africa (9000–6000 BCE) sorghum, yams, okra, black-eyed peas, cattle, sheep, goats
East Asia (6500–5500 BCE) rice, millet, soybeans, pigs, chickens, water buffalo
Mesoamerica (~4000 BCE) maize, beans, peppers, squash, tomatoes
South America (after 5000 BCE) potatoes, maize, beans
Fewer domesticated animals in Americas

AGRICULTURE METHODS AND SPREAD
Slash-and-burn created fertile soil, forced relocation
Wheat SW Asia → Iran/N. India (5000 BCE) → N. China (3000 BCE)
Rice S. China → SE Asia (3000 BCE) → India (1500 BCE)
Sorghum Africa → India (2000 BCE)
Bananas SE Asia → Indian Ocean islands
Maize Mesoamerica → SW U.S. (1200 BCE) → E. U.S. (100 CE)
AG more reliable than hunting/gathering

POPULATION GROWTH
10,000 BCE 4 million
5000 BCE 5 million
3000 BCE 14 million
2000 BCE 27 million
1000 BCE 50 million

SETTLEMENTS
Permanent villages near farms
First settlement Jericho (8000 BCE, Levant/Israel)
7000 BCE Jericho had defensive walls
Catal Huyuk = best known Neolithic trade center, obsidian tools, specialized labor

SPECIALIZED LABOR AND TECH
Pottery = storage vessels
Metallurgy = copper first, malleable
6000 BCE smelt copper ore
5000 BCE copper casting into molds
Textiles (6000 BCE) fibers → thread → fabric
Population concentration → trade → wealth → social classes

RELIGION AND SCIENCE
Neolithic people tracked growing conditions → first calendar (Ireland ~5000 years ago)
Seasons tied to heavens + earth
Religions focused on fertility and cycle of life + death

RISE OF CITIES
Dense populations, labor specialization, social classes → cities
Professional classes refined tech + systems
First cities = Mesopotamia (modern Iran, Tigris + Euphrates)