Transcript 1.2 The Beginning of Agriculture

The Beginnings of Civilization
Section 2
The Beginning of Agriculture
Preview
• Main Idea / Reading Focus
• The New Stone Age
• Development of Agriculture
• Map: Growth of Agriculture
• Agriculture Changes Society
The Beginnings of Civilization
Section 2
The Beginning of Agriculture
Main Idea
The development of agriculture was a major turning point in
human history and significantly changed the way in which many
people lived.
Reading Focus
• What new tools and technologies did early humans develop
during the New Stone Age?
• How did early agriculture develop and spread?
• In what ways did the development of agriculture change Stone
Age society?
Section 2
The Beginnings of Civilization
The New Stone Age
As prehistoric people developed more sophisticated tools,
the Paleolithic Era gave way to the Neolithic Era.
Paleolithic Tools
• Stones chipped to make
points
Neolithic Tools
• Polished stones to make
points
• Wood and bone tools
• More specialized tools:
• Nets from plant fibers and
animal sinew
– chisels
– drills
– saws
The Beginnings of Civilization
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Contrast
How did toolmaking in the New Stone Age
differ from toolmaking in the Old Stone
Age?
Answer(s): Old Stone Age—chipped stones to
produce sharp edges; New Stone Age—polished
and ground stones to shape tools
Section 2
The Beginnings of Civilization
Development of Agriculture
The development of agriculture, about 10,000 years ago,
radically changed how people lived. This shift to farming is
referred to as the Neolithic Revolution.
Plants
• End of Ice Age
• New plants
• New food source
• People learned to
farm
• Domestication
• Larger food supply
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Animals
Domesticating
animals
Careful selection
and breeding
10,000 BC – dogs
Larger and more
stable supply of
meat, milk, skins,
wool
Growth of
Agriculture
• Available plants,
domesticated
animals
• Spread to regions:
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Asia: rice
Africa: cattle
Mexico: corn
South America:
potatoes
The Beginnings of Civilization
Section 2
The Beginnings of Civilization
Section 2
Identify Cause and Effect
How did people benefit from farming and the
domestication of plants and animals?
Answer(s): more reliable food supply; people
could pool labor and resources
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The Beginnings of Civilization
Agriculture Changes Society
• Agriculture dramatically changed Stone Age societies by providing a larger and more
reliable food supply.
• Some people began to live as nomadic pastoralists.
• Others gave up the nomadic lifestyle and formed settlements, pooling their resources.
Early Farming Societies
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Small settlements
Villages and towns
Increase in trade
Societies became more complex
Social status, authority
Religion, megaliths
Warfare, disease increased
New Technologies
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New tools and methods
Animals working in fields
Grindstones, pestles, pottery
Wool from sheep for yarn
Spinning and weaving
Copper, bronze, tin
• As people began to make items from bronze, the Stone Age gave way to the Bronze
Age, which began as early as 3000 BC in some areas.
The Beginnings of Civilization
Section 2
Çatal Hüyuk
A Neolithic settlement in what is now Turkey
• Largest Neolithic site found
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Home to 5,000–6,000 people in 6000 BC
Covered more than 30 acres
People raised barley, wheat, sheep, goats
• Houses
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One main room with areas for sleeping and
domestic tasks like cooking
Religious shrines
The Beginnings of Civilization
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Ötzi the Iceman
Discoveries added to our knowledge of Neolithic societies
• 1991- hikers discover frozen male body
• Scientific tests performed
• 5,300 years old, from Neolithic Era
Ötzi and belongings well preserved
• Clothes: three types of animal skins stitched together
• Leather shoes, woven grass cape, fur hat, backpack
• Quiver with arrows, dagger, ax with copper blade
Scientists’ theories
• Diet included coarse grains
• Did not live in location where found
• Might have been murdered
The Beginnings of Civilization
Section 2
Summarize
How did the development of agriculture
affect Neolithic societies?
Answer(s): revolutionary changes; men and
women assumed different roles; led to towns,
government, religion, trade