Beginning of CivilizationChapter 2

I. How was the Neolithic Era Different from the Paleolithic Era

A. About 10,000 years ago, humans learned to farm.

B. Over time most hunter-gatherers stopped wandering in search of food. They settled in one place.

C. The change from hunting to farming is called the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution.

II. Natural Changes After the Last Ice Age

A. Temperatures increased and rainfall patterns changed

B. Glaciers began to shrink

a. ocean levels rose

b. land was covered by water in some places

C. Some plants and animals died. Some moved to new places

III. Early AgricultureA. Human life changed dramatically when people learned to domesticate plants and animals.

a. domesticate—to change the growth of plants or behavior of animals in ways that are useful for humans

b. domesticated plants and animals provided reliable source of food

c. over time these plants and animals produced more and better food than the wild versions

d. farming led people to invent new tools

B. Farming enabled people to settle in one place and develop specialized skills

C. Benefits of Farming

a. food surplus

b. smaller land needs

c. change to build permanent homes

d. new materials for clothing

D. Costs of Farming

a. time and energy for planting and herding

b. uncertainty due to weather or disease

c. danger of attack or theft

E. Effects of Farming

a. People domesticate plants and animals and build settled communities

b. tools and crops improve. People can grow more food and build up surplus

c. populations grow larger

d. with more people and enough food, not everyone must be involved in farming

e. specialization develops, people become potters, weavers, toolmakers, healers, storytellers, etc

IV. Catalhoyuk

A. Located in Turkey, one of the oldest known farming villages

B. Home to a few thousand people

C. Attached private dwelling with no large public buildings

D. Evidence of shared religious rituals