Remember!
When dealing with dates before 0 BCE (Before Common Era), the lower a number is, the more recent the event. For example, an event that happened in 13 BCE occurred before 12 BCE (which is the opposite of how we keep track of years in modern times).
To understand how agriculture took root and grew into civilization, let's focus on a specific time and place. The place is Europe, and the time is the Neolithic period, which happened about 6,000 years ago. During the Neolithic period, humans began to rely more and more on farming, tool-making, and agriculture for survival. This shift was a such a major advancement over the way people had started out, as hunters and gatherers, that the event is called the Neolithic Revolution. Before the Revolution, people just moved from place to place until all the resources were used up. They didn't need permanent homes, and they were so busy finding food that they didn't have time to build them anyway.
These two maps can help you see how the influence of agriculture became unstoppable throughout Europe. Click each map to see a larger version and to find out what the map says about human progress during the Neolithic period.
|
|
|
Why are so many settlements on this map described in a way that involves pottery (types of pots)?
- Pottery-making was a much more popular pastime during the Neolithic period.
- Most early civilizations gave themselves names related to pottery.
- Pottery is one of the few objects that can remain behind long after a civilization has vanished.
- Archeologists are generally very interested in they types of pots that people used.
Since pottery doesn't dissolve over thousands of years the way other items do, archeologists and anthropologists can identify groups of people by the way they made and used clay or stone containers.
Since pottery doesn't dissolve over thousands of years the way other items do, archeologists and anthropologists can identify groups of people by the way they made and used clay or stone containers.
Since pottery doesn't dissolve over thousands of years the way other items do, archeologists and anthropologists can identify groups of people by the way they made and used clay or stone containers.
Since pottery doesn't dissolve over thousands of years the way other items do, archeologists and anthropologists can identify groups of people by the way they made and used clay or stone containers.
Why did Neolithic societies mostly expand along coasts and rivers?
- Agriculture requires lots of fresh water for keeping crops and animals alive.
- The cool ocean waters kept early humans from dying of exposure.
- Living next to the sea meant more shipping routes and trade with far-off lands.
- The most useful domestic animals lived in the oceans and streams of the Mediterranean Sea.
As a way of life, farming requires a larger and more constant water supply than hunting and gathering.
As a way of life, farming requires a larger and more constant water supply than hunting and gathering.
As a way of life, farming requires a larger and more constant water supply than hunting and gathering.
As a way of life, farming requires a larger and more constant water supply than hunting and gathering.
Why did certain cultures disappear between 4500 and 3500 BCE?
- They were victims of a sudden Ice Age that ruined their crops year after year.
- They were taken over by groups who were better farmers and therefore grew more quickly in number.
- Their pottery didn't sell well, so they couldn't afford to eat or feed their children.
- All of the above
Groups that best understood how to grow their own food were able to settle down and expand, absorbing the groups around them who did not have this technology--or did not understand it well enough.
Groups that best understood how to grow their own food were able to settle down and expand, absorbing the groups around them who did not have this technology--or did not understand it well enough.
Groups that best understood how to grow their own food were able to settle down and expand, absorbing the groups around them who did not have this technology--or did not understand it well enough.
Groups that best understood how to grow their own food were able to settle down and expand, absorbing the groups around them who did not have this technology--or did not understand it well enough.
Summary
Questions answered correctly:
Questions answered incorrectly:
