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Neolithic Revolution: Positive And Negative Effects Of Urbanization

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Agriculture, the domestication of plants and animals, began in the early years of the Neolithic age, and the shift to agriculture is undoubtedly one of the most important events in human history (Reilly, p. 19-25). The widespread use of agriculture brought about fundamental changes in the way humans exist, and civilization as we know it would not occur without it. The use of agriculture had widespread effects on the world, most of which still effect civilization today. This paper will discuss the shift made in the Neolithic Revolution from hunting and gathering societies to agricultural societies, and the main positive and negative effects that shift had on humankind.
The use of agriculture did not happen quickly, or at the same time in all …show more content…

These new changes include urbanization, changes in demographics, economical advancements, advances in politics, and more intellectual thinking. Urbanization was one of the main results that came from agriculture, as agriculture allowed people to stay in one place, they needed to build homes to live in (Reilly, p. 32-34). People began living in compounds together, then villages that had fixed property, public space, and were ruled by the elders. Finally, once societies were fully agrarian, city-states began to emerge with social stratifications, militaries, and ceremonial centers (Eichler, 9 Sept. 2016). Agriculture also increased demographics across the world, since people could now produce an abundance of food. This abundance of food meant that societies could sustain more people. The increase in population meant that not everyone had to farm, because one farmer could provide food for a multiple people, leaving people with more free time that was eventually used to make economic, political, and intellectual advances. The free time that agriculture provided people with was used to create political and legal systems, and from that came a need for writing because city-states needed a way of keeping records. Furthermore, as city-states grew and interacted with each other, they began to trade, which led to the first monetary systems. Finally, the shift …show more content…

These negative aspects of agriculture include a less varied diet, social inequality, a shorter life span, and a higher probability of spreading disease. Although agriculture provided an abundance of food, that abundance consisted largely of carbs, and less nutritious foods and this effected the overall health of people in a negative way. This lack of variety in diets was harsh on people’s teeth and stomachs because of the high sugar found in many of the early agriculturalists’ crops, and resulted in weaker bones and malnutrition. All of these factors, along with a lack of exercise and harsh, repetitive work, ultimately caused people in agriculturalist societies to have shorter life spans (Kern, 13 Sept. 2016). Social inequality was also a negative result that came from the shift to agriculture. Agriculture lead to private ownership of land, and it was impossible for everyone in an agriculturalist society to own land, because of this some people would have access to more economic power as a result of their landownership (Eichler, 7 Sept. 2016). The final downside of agriculture is that it allows disease to spread easier and faster throughout a society. Before people domesticated plants and animals they hunted and gathered, traveling in small groups. The movement in general aided in preventing disease

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