 Cultivation and Domestication- The Neolithic

Revolution was the beginning of farming and

settlement. This period represents a complete change
in the way of life for the earliest hunter-gatherers.
 Growth of Towns and Cities- As farming systems
improved, food supplies increased and became
steadier. This meant that settlements could support
more people.
 Groups of hunter-gatherers lived for short periods
in areas with plenty of natural resources.
 Women began to plant seeds from wild crops to
get more food. This was the start of agriculture as
we know it today.
 Early people also began to tame and breed
animals. The animals were used as sources of food
and as labor in the fields.
 This was a time when humans
largely shifted away from living as
roaming hunter-gatherers.
 Instead, they began living in
farming communities. The
Neolithic Revolution, or
Agricultural Revolution, did not
happen quickly. It occurred
gradually, over several thousand
years.
 The cold temperatures of the
Ice Age ended about 11,700
years ago.
 Climates around the globe
began to warm
 As these nomadic peoples
moved from region to region,
they began to find areas with
lots of animals and plants and
other natural resources.
 People settled in the area that is
today known as the Fertile
Crescent.
 This region used to have rich
plant life and many kinds of
animals.
 People who settled in such areas
learned how to help the local
plant life grow.
 Key Term
Agriculture- The
practice of
cultivating the
land or raising
stock
 Key Term
Agricultural
Revolution-
The time when
human begins first
domesticated plants
and animals and no
longer relied entirely
on hunting and
gathering.
 When there were no longer
enough food and plants in an
area, people needed to move to a
new location.
 Over time, they learned how to
plant and grow certain crops.
 Then they were able to better
control their food supply. At that
point, they could begin to settle
in one place.
 Most historians believe
that women were the first
people to begin farming.
 This led to a slow change
as women began to raise
and harvest plants while
men continued to hunt for
food.
 Early farming was most
likely a process of trial and
error.
 Many Neolithic
settlements had pits or
buildings to store crops.
Storing crops allowed early
farmers to keep their food
supply steady.
 Farming developed in several
parts of the world at about the
same time.
 What early farmers grew
depended largely on their
region’s climate.
 Researchers generally believe
that barley and wheat were the
first crops that were planted
and harvested.
 Scientists think dogs

descended from wolves.

 They also think that dogs

were the first animals tamed

and raised by humans.

 Dogs were most likely

domesticated by early

nomads to help with hunting.

 People began taming and
raising farm animals about
10,000 years ago. They did
this by herding local wild
animals and leading them to
pastures.
 Goats and sheep were the
first domesticated farm
animals.
 They were used not only for food

but also for wool, hides, and milk.

 Their manure, or droppings, was

used to make land more fertile

for growing crops. People later

tamed pigs and cattle, along with

larger herd animals.

 These animals could be used as

labor in the fields.

 Living in close quarters with
animals created some problems.
 Sometimes diseases spread
from animal populations to
humans.
 Despite this problem, the
domestication of animals
allowed farmers to increase the
amount of food they could grow.
Reading Handout- Domesticating Animals
 With the use of tamed animals,
fewer people were needed in
the fields.
 People could specialize in other
activities that they were good
at, such as making tools.
 Specialization led to new ways
of working that brought
improvements to people's lives.
 Tools and the methods for making
them got better in the Neolithic
era.
 Tool making advanced most
quickly in places with large
populations and a steady food
supply.
 People in the Neolithic era made
tools from stone, wood, antlers,
and bone.
 The creation of pottery reveals
people’s increasing skill in
controlling fire. Fire was a
useful tool for Neolithic people.
 Over time, people learned to
use fire to melt metals for tool
making. This advance ended
the Neolithic era and brought
in the Bronze Age.
 Key Term

Bronze Age- A
period
characterized by
the manufacture
and use of
bronze tools and
weapons.
Reading Handout- Technology Then and Now
 By planting seeds that produced more and better plants, farmers
could feed more people and cities could grow.
 Animals working in the fields made the farms more efficient. People
could specialize in other things. This led to the growth of culture and
new advances.
 Growing cities, new tools, and better farming systems made it
possible for people to spread far and wide. They moved into regions
they could not have lived in before.
 As people migrated, they brought their knowledge and farming
methods with them. Agriculture spread across the globe.
 Early settlements grew into

villages and then towns. The

larger towns were the centers

of religion and government.

 After hundreds of years of

growth, the largest settlements

had enough people, power, and

wealth to be called cities.

 Permanent settlements did not
mean that people were no longer
on the move. People continued to
migrate. As people moved from
place to place, they shared ideas
and cultures.
 Farming and the use of tools and
technology spread, and the
world’s population rose.
 Key Term

Migration- The
movement of
people from
one country or
locality to
another.
 People in settled farming
communities had an advantage
over hunter-gatherer groups.
 Their communities had
advanced tools and large
populations.
 They could produce a steady
supply of food. These
communities could grow and
spread faster.
 Over time, people changed from
nomadic hunter-gatherers to
settled members of farm-based
communities.
 This was a major change in early
people’s way of life. It led to better
health, longer life, and the
beginning of civilizations.
 This change happened gradually
over thousands of years
Video- Crash Course- The Agricultural Revolution
 What has been the

“muddiest” point so far in

this lesson? That is, what

topic remains the least

clear to you? (4 minutes)

 Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
muddiest point with
theirs. Compare
what things are the
same and what
things are different?
(3 minutes)