Cultural Differences Of The Paleolithic And Neolithic Cultures

Before the Neolithic Revolution, there was nomadic lifestyle of hunting and gathering food for survival. People stayed in one place as long as the sources they needed to survive was present. If sources weren’t available, people would move to another place for survival. Therefore, there was no permanent or final settlement.Due to the discovery of farming, the Neolithic Revolution began. Once the techniques of

The Paleolithic Man is more of the ‘cave man’ that we know of today, most of them were lived as hunters/nomads and took shelter in caves and/or skin tents. On the other hand, during the Neolithic Era (or the New Stone Age), the Neolithic Man lived in permanent settlements made from stone and mud, they grew crops and domesticated animals. It was during the Neolithic Era that communities and societies were developed and ‘houses’ were created, an example of this is the Catal Hoyuk in modern day Turkey. Another difference between the life styles of the two is that the Paleolithic man were individual hunters while the Neolithic man formed organized hunting parties which were a lot more successful. The Paleolithic man created tiny figurines, paintings

The start of agriculture during the Neolithic Revolution led directly to the beginning of civilization. The Neolithic Revolution, which happened 10,000 years ago, was the shift from hunter-gathers to a food-producing culture meaning humans started to farm and domesticate animals. This was the catalyst to help create civilizations. We know now how to distinguish groups of humans from actual civilization if those groups have certain characteristics. Those characteristics are complex institutions, record keeping, advanced cities, specialized workers, and advanced technology. A result of the Neolithic Revolution is that more people were able to thrive since there was a surplus of food. These early civilizations were able to take advantage of the rivers and create irrigation systems to water their crops.

New technology in the Neolithic Revolution had an immense impact. Life in the New Stone Age mainly depended on agriculture, which led to the invention of the plow and fertilizers, making jobs in plant cultivation more efficient. Furthermore, around 5000 B.C wheels were invented, making transportation much faster and easier than before. Weapons were also improved; in the Paleolithic Era their arms were made of wood and stone, but in the Neolithic Revolution man started making their weapons out of stone. This enhanced weaponry helped people protect their villages’ valuable resources. (Documents #4 & 6)

The societies of Paleolithic man were far different then that of the Neolithic man. The Old Stone Age societies had no time for other actives then what was necessary to survive. They did not invent many new things, and were constantly moving and changing their environment. Societies in he New Stone Age were a settled people, who constantly improved their lifestyle's to make it easier to live by. Job's of the women no longer consisted of gathering, it consisted of growing the crops, since agriculture was a new provider of food.

The social lives of the Paleolithic foragers greatly differ from that of the Neolithic farmers. This is mostly because of their way of acquiring food. The foragers had plenty of time after they hunted and gathered there food because that was all they had to do while the farmers constantly had to maintain their fields. The foragers spent their free time making art such as cave painting and constructing tools. With what little time the farmers had they used it to build structures, tools and containers for the next harvest. One thing they both had in common was the specific jobs that they assigned to men and women based on each gender’s abilities. In the Paleolithic time the men were the hunters, since they were more muscular,

     The Neolithic Period extended from 10,000 B.C to 3,000 BC. It is also called the New Stone Age, and many new advances and changes took place in this time. Unlike the nomadic life of the Old Stone Age, the New Stone Age was the dawning of settled life. People lived more towards lakes and rivers instead of caves, and tree trunks. This led to the change of the jobs of the society.

The Neolithic Revolution was the major change in human life caused by the beginnings of farming. This revolution changed people’s lives in several ways. It changed the way people lived because before the Neolithic Revolution they relied on hunting and gathering food. It also changed the way they settled, because of this revolution they were able to live in villages for a long time, unlike before; they had to relocate often because their food source would become scarce.  The way civilizations lived changed because of the Neolithic Revolution. A civilization is a form of culture that consists of cities, advanced technology, specialized workers, complex institutions, and record keeping. The early river valley civilizations; which developed in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus, and China, had more similarities than differences. The river valley civilizations were similar when it came to their writing systems, inventions, and geography. However, they were also different when it came to writing systems and inventions.

During the Neolithic Revolution, food was obtained by producing it. They developed the ability to farm and domesticate animals to help them with agricultural chores. Getting food was easier than ever. However, life around 8000 BCE was not always so efficient. According to Document 1, “So long as they relied on foraging, hunting, fishing, and trapping, they were dependent on the natural food supply.” Control was weak and guarantee was slim in the Paleolithic era. People had no

There were many social and economic changes that took place in human development from the Paleolithic through Neolithic periods. First, humans invented agriculture to use in their day to day lives. Next, roles of men and women began to shift. Finally, another change between these two periods had to do with living quarters. Art was affected in all of these changes made during the transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic eras.

The Neolithic Revolution is often called the “New Stone Age”. This is because; people were making tools with metals instead of stone. Some changes were the domestications of animals and crops, permanent settlement, and technology and job specialization. The changes in the Neolithic Revolution were so important that it is considered a turning point in human history.

The Neolithic people could easily receive resources from farms and artisans. Clothes to keep warm from artisans and food from farmers, which are essential resources in everyday life. According to Document #2, “What on Earth Happened” by Christopher Lloyd, it says, “As the populations of villages and towns increased, those not involved in farming, could become artisans --- skilled workers --- who made artifacts like pottery, jewelry, and clothes for settled people.” Although some people did not have anything to offer in the Paleolithic Revolution (the era of hunting and gathering), in the Neolithic Revolution (the era of farming and settling), they could have a specialized job, artisans, to benefit the society. Artisans offer products farms cannot.

Early agricultural societies differed from those of the Paleolithic era in many different ways. They were two similar and different things. The Paleolithic era was more towards not staying in one specific area. They wanted to follow where their food went. In the agricultural societies, many people leaned towards being a lot less nomadic. They stayed in one spot and decided to farm for food.

The Paleolithic era began about 2.6 million years ago; this was considered the Old Age. The Neolithic era began about 10,000 BC where it was named the New Age. There were several differences that existed between the men who lived in these two ages. The Paleolithic man consisted of nomads who hunted and gathered their food to survive. Their hunting tools consisted of chipped and dull stones and wooden weapons. Their shelter consisted of huts and skin tents, and they were characterized as a tribal society. On the other hand, the Neolithic men were characterized by farmers who resided in permanent settlements, as opposed to wandering around. Their shelter was made up of bricks supported by timber, which seems to be a lot more durable

Technology has changed everything greatly since the Paleolithic age which include transportation, medicine, and communication. The changing of climate, becoming warmer has brought the ice age to an end. The world started to form going through many changes, the temperature changing, ocean levels rising which was starting to form islands. Living has improved greatly, people having boats for fishing and hunting, bow and arrow which was easier to kill for food. The change of environment has made a big impact on the way people live. People became farmers, living in villages and making enough food to survive for themselves. The farmers learned how to cultivate their plants and handle their animals much better. There forms of living was much different to they could accommodate up to 45-50 people which provided large amounts of storage for food. Walls were made of mud or clay and ceilings were made with plant such as straw or reed. The beds and seating was made from stone. Their houses were located near rivers, plateaus, or in swamps. Their art has improved instead of cave paintings and cave work now they use clay, ceramics and pottery.