Summary: The Changeover From Mesolithic To Neolithic

According to the context of Document 3, “One innovation or change that occurred because of the Neolithic Revolution was that people settled in villages.” This shows that because of the change of the Neolithic Revolution, people began to live in well-maintained places where people would settle (ex: villages). Another detail from the third document is that “In ancient Banpo, forty- five houses covered with thatch provided homes for perhaps 500 people.” This means that because of the change in Neolithic times, there were a lot of people who were provided with homes to live in. This also shows that there were homes provided for large amounts of people, and they made many items such as pots, vases, and dishes to help them for the house. Moreover, in Document 6, the innovations of the Neolithic Revolution were good for society because they taught many people, especially children, on how to be prepared for anything, and teaching them the basics such as growing and planting crops, and feeding others. According to the sixth document, “Children probably lost their carefree life as agriculture developed.” This shows that children did and learned new things instead of wasting their time doing other, unimportant things. As later stated in Document 6, “Instead of being just responsible for finding food themselves, they had to work on the land and learn to grow food and feed others.”

Several critical developments distinguish civilizations from even the most advanced Paleolithic and Neolithic societies that preceded them. Some critical developments include inequality based on gender, status based on class, and lastly the beginning of written literature and more complex calendars. Specifically, one main critical development was inequality based on gender.

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.

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.

During the Neolithic period economics seemed to have played a bigger role than in the Paleolithic age. This was mostly because of the agricultural advancement which had a significant function in their economic system. They had surpluses of food which allowed them to trade and sell. Also having something to barter with enabled them to buy better tools and equipment for farming. This was not so with the Paleolithic people since they hunted and gathered their food. Since they relied on themselves they had no reason to trade or sell. They only depended on their handmade stone and bone tools. The only similarity between these two periods was that their lives revolved around their need for food.

The Neolithic Revolution took place from around 10,000 B.C.E. to 4000 B.C.E. and was thought to be one of the largest transformations in human culture. The transition in lifestyle centered around the shift from a life of hunting and gathering as the main source of food to a life of agriculture through the cultivation and breeding of animals, plants, and fungi as the main source of food. The planting and growing of crops allowed for a dependable and steady source of food and income for many individuals in several parts of the world. This transition was known as the Agricultural Revolution, a movement enabling more people to put a halt to their nomadic ways and settle in one location. This revolution is so important to the evolution of human

     There were changes that occurred from the Paleolithic Period to the Neolithic. Small changes were made in this time, from the culture, to bigger changes like economics, and agriculture. How did man deal with these changes and what kind of impact did it have on society?

The Paleolithic and Neolithic periods displayed major cultural differences in religion, lifestyles, government, and technology. “Culture is the way of life of a group of people. Culture includes common practices of a society, its shared understandings, and its social organizations are always changing” (McDougal, World History: Patterns of Interaction, 2004) The Paleolithic time period was full of inventions and was a time where new technology and lifestyles were blossoming through all cultures. Tools made out of pressure flaked stone and rock were created during this period to help with everyday tasks. The Paleolithic period was also the period where the creations of fires were discovered along with religion and languages. The Neolithic age, however, was more technologically improved, than the Paleolithic age. This was the start of the agricultural revolution and the start of civilizations and societies. These two periods were ever changing.

Political, economic, and social conditions have often led to turning points that have changed the course of history for nations and people. The Paleolithic Era and Neolithic Revolution was a turning point that changed the orbit of history for mankind. In Documents 1, 2, and 4, they explain life before the Neolithic Revolution and what changed during the period and provide an analysis of results of the revolution. They introduce food supply and settlement, and civilization and trade.

Over 10,000 years ago humans’ lives were spent hunting and gathering just to survive. That all changed when some humans figured out how to capture animals and plant wild seeds so that they could control their food supply. This change in how people lived is known as the Neolithic Revolution and it ultimately led to the beginnings of civilization. The Neolithic Revolution is considered a turning point in human history because it led to permanent settlements, improvements in technology and the development of social classes and job specialization.

For example in document one the farmers lived in villages that eventually grew into small towns and then cities. If we never settled we would've never been civilized as we are today. Writhing was also a massive turning point in our history. If the Mesopotamians did not create a form a writing we would have never been able to communicate or talk with anyone else in our society (Document 3). Also in document 4 the Mesopotamians made various utensils to prepare and eat out of. This helps us understand what they used to eat and eat out of. As shown in document 5 Neolithic farmers used deer antler to farm. They would shape the tools and use them for a variety of different things. In document 6 Neolithic people learned how to domesticate a number of different animals such as sheep and goats. Also they learned how to domesticate flax. This is a big step forward to help them with further domestications. Lastly people in this era did the job that they did best (Job Specialization). For example if one farmed but was better at making tools for farming then they would specialize in that area work. As you can see there are were many different turning points in the Neolithic

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

Throughout history, many changes occurred regarding the way humans got their food. These changes are usually caused by environmental changes and having to adapt to them. Adapting to new environments can cause long-term political, social, and economic effects on societies and regions. A lot of the changes regarding food production mainly happened during the Neolithic Revolution. Before the Neolithic Revolution, humans had to depend more on animals than plants as a food source.

Prior women utilization to limit their employment inquiries inside the domain of childcare and family obligations. Men utilization to work outside the house and women were the ones who utilization to handle all the family meets expectations. In the rustic zones of the created nations men to a great extent rule the horticultural acts as the horticulture in such nations is exceedingly motorized. For these situation women for the most part relocate to urban territories to make utilization of different open doors. The circumstance in creating and immature nations is very distinctive. The farming division in these nations is less created and is substantially less motorized subsequently women overwhelm the agrarian works here and men move to urban zones looking for occupation and different open doors.

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.