The Neolithic Revolution (Ch2)

1    The Neolithic Revolution

         Diet- People that lived in Agricultural societies had easier access to food, they had food around them rather than having to go out hunting and gathering. the grew plants in abundance, enough that they stored some for winter. They kept animals with them rather than having to find and hunt them. food was around more so the people didn't spend as much time searching for food as they did harvesting/growing plants and taking care of their own personal animals.

         Population- The Agricultural (Neolithic) Revolution brought the population to a new time high because more food was being grown, therefore more babies were being born which expanded cities and had a repeat effect (more food = more babies).
        
         Specialization of Labor- Different people had different jobs, so they specialized in that certain work. Woman were the innovators of farming and men domesticated animals. Some specializations were metallurgy, farming, domesticating animals, 


         Social Classes- There were no kings or rulers so in many African societies people, through the lineage system (people traced their descent through either male or female line to some common ancestor), there was some framework so people could make/enforce rules and maintain order/settle disputes. Villages based on lineage brought social and economic inequalities. Lineages expanded numbers by war captives and migrants. In Chiefdoms one inherits power, but seldom used force to rule over their subjects. Rather they relied on gift  giving /generosity,, ritual status, and personal charisma, They collected tribute which was often redistributed  to others where the chief kept a prestigious and imposing lifestyle.Elite and commoner distinction took root.

         Technology- Metallurgy: working of gold, copper, then bronze, and later iron. This became jewelry/tools/weapons. Pots. Weaving textiles. Looms. New uses for animals besides their meat and hides. They learned to milk animals, harvest wool, and enrich soil with manure in agricultural parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Eastern Hemisphere there was horse/camel riding and hitching animals to plows/carts (in this area because this is where the large animals were found).

         Gender Roles- Men and Woman were equal during the hunting and gathering age, so for the most part that equality was carried over, but varied a little with what tasks were preformed, which is how the genders became unequal in later years. The work the men did was more laborious, working with the animals and herding, as well as farming. The woman did lighter work such as weaving.

         Living Conditions- Settled down and lived in communities. Large communities brought epidemics for the first time and living so near to animals brought diseases.Farming itself brought deterioration in their general health. Farming and herding deliberately altered the environment; removed natural ground cover, irrigation, & grazing.

         Animal Husbandry is the reliance on meat, milk, and blood of animals where farming was difficult or impossible. 

(4:03, important to the transition between paleolithic to neolithic. 8:30, important to relation to present)

And the one shown in Class...