ArchaeologyLesson 3 of 3 in the course Early Humans

Neolithic Agriculture: Domestication, Social Change, and Settlements

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

For tens of thousands of years, humans survived by hunting animals and gathering wild plants. About twelve thousand years ago, some communities began cultivating plants and later domesticating animals. This major change reshaped human life and began the Neolithic Age.

The Neolithic Revolution was the shift from relying mainly on hunting and gathering to producing food through agriculture. Rather than simply collecting plants where they grew naturally, people began encouraging useful plants to grow and eventually changing them through deliberate selection. They later domesticated animals as well.

All flashcards

What was the Neolithic Revolution?
The gradual shift from relying mainly on hunting and gathering to producing food through agriculture.
What is plant or animal domestication?
Human influence on traits and reproduction to make plants or animals more useful.
What is a food surplus?
Food produced beyond immediate needs, which can be stored or support people in other roles.
What is labor specialization?
The development of roles in which people focus on particular skills or services.
Why was the agricultural transition uneven?
Communities adopted farming at different times, and some continued foraging when it better suited their circumstances.

Quiz questions

  1. When selecting wheat and barley in the ancient Near East, which plant traits did cultivators favor?Answer: Thinner husks and more edible seeds.
  2. Which crops were associated with early farming near China’s major rivers?Answer: Millet near the Yellow River and rice near the Yangtze.
  3. What could make epidemic disease more common in agricultural settlements?Answer: Dense settlement and accumulated human and animal waste.
  4. At Göbekli Tepe, how did the earliest monumental structures relate in date to the earliest evidence of agriculture at the site?Answer: The structures date to about a thousand years earlier.
  5. How could food surpluses encourage labor specialization?Answer: Some people could work in roles beyond producing food.

Based on World History Volume 1, to 1500 by Ann Kordas, Ryan J. Lynch, Brooke Nelson, Julie Tatlock (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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