6th Grade BCA - Neolithic Revolution

Neolithic Revolution
 Preview
Cultivation and Domestication- The Neolithic

Revolution was the beginning of farming and settlement.

This period represents a complete change in the way of
life for the earliest hunter-gatherers.
Growth of Towns and Cities- As farming systems

improved, food supplies increased and became steadier.

This meant that settlements could support more people.
Reach Into Your Background
Farmers used to work small

farms by themselves. They

produced enough food to

provide for their families and

traded any surplus. How do you

think food production in the

United States has changed in

the past 150 years? (5 minutes)

Partner Activity
Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
answer with theirs.
What things are
the same and what
things are
different? (3
minutes)
Key Ideas- Cultivation and Domestication

Groups of hunter-gatherers lived for short periods in

areas with plenty of natural resources.

Women began to plant seeds from wild crops to get

more food. This was the start of agriculture as we know

it today.
Early people also began to tame and breed animals. The

animals were used as sources of food and as labor in the

fields.
 Neolithic Revolution
This was a time when humans largely

shifted away from living as roaming

hunter-gatherers.
Instead, they began living in farming

communities. The Neolithic

Revolution, or Agricultural

Revolution, did not happen quickly. It

occurred gradually, over several

thousand years.
Neolithic Revolution
The cold temperatures of the Ice
Age ended about 11,700 years ago.
Climates around the globe began
to warm
As these nomadic peoples moved
from region to region, they began
to find areas with lots of animals
and plants and other natural
resources.
Neolithic Revolution
People settled in the area that is
today known as the Fertile
Crescent.
This region used to have rich
plant life and many kinds of
animals.
People who settled in such areas
learned how to help the local
plant life grow.
 Key Term
Agriculture- The
practice of
cultivating the
land or raising
stock
 Key Term
Agricultural
Revolution-
The time when
human begins first
domesticated plants
and animals and no
longer relied entirely
on hunting and
gathering.
 The First Crops
When there were no longer enough

food and plants in an area, people

needed to move to a new location.

Over time, they learned how to plant

and grow certain crops.

Then they were able to better control

their food supply. At that point, they

could begin to settle in one place.

The First Crops
Most historians believe that

women were the first

people to begin farming.

This led to a slow change as

women began to raise and

harvest plants while men

continued to hunt for food.

Trial and Error
Early farming was most
likely a process of trial and
error.
Many Neolithic settlements
had pits or buildings to store
crops. Storing crops allowed
early farmers to keep their
food supply steady.
Trial and Error
Farming developed in several parts
of the world at about the same
time.
What early farmers grew depended
largely on their regions climate.
Researchers generally believe that
barley and wheat were the first
crops that were planted and
harvested.
The First Farm Animals
Scientists think dogs

descended from wolves.

They also think that dogs

were the first animals tamed

and raised by humans.

Dogs were most likely

domesticated by early

nomads to help with hunting.

The First Farm Animals
People began taming and
raising farm animals about
10,000 years ago. They did
this by herding local wild
animals and leading them to
pastures.
Goats and sheep were the
first domesticated farm
animals.
The First Farm Animals
They were used not only for food

but also for wool, hides, and milk.

Their manure, or droppings, was

used to make land more fertile

for growing crops. People later

tamed pigs and cattle, along with

larger herd animals.

These animals could be used as

labor in the fields.

 The First Farm Animals
Living in close quarters with
animals created some problems.
Sometimes diseases spread from
animal populations to humans.
Despite this problem, the
domestication of animals
allowed farmers to increase the
amount of food they could grow.
Domesticating Animals
Reading Handout- Domesticating Animals
The First Farm Animals
With the use of tamed animals,
fewer people were needed in the
fields.
People could specialize in other
activities that they were good at,
such as making tools.
Specialization led to new ways of
working that brought
improvements to people's lives.
 Sophisticated Stone Tools
Tools and the methods for making

them got better in the Neolithic era.

Tool making advanced most quickly

in places with large populations and a

steady food supply.

People in the Neolithic era made tools

from stone, wood, antlers, and bone.

 Sophisticated Stone Tools
The creation of pottery reveals

peoples increasing skill in

controlling fire. Fire was a useful

tool for Neolithic people.

Over time, people learned to use

fire to melt metals for tool making.

This advance ended the Neolithic

era and brought in the Bronze Age.

 Key Term
Bronze Age- A
period
characterized by
the manufacture
and use of
bronze tools and
weapons.
Technology Then and Now
Reading Handout- Technology Then and Now
 Key Ideas- Growth of Towns and Cities

By planting seeds that produced more and better plants, farmers could feed

more people and cities could grow.

Animals working in the fields made the farms more efficient. People could

specialize in other things. This led to the growth of culture and new
advances.
Growing cities, new tools, and better farming systems made it possible for

people to spread far and wide. They moved into regions they could not have
lived in before.
As people migrated, they brought their knowledge and farming methods

with them. Agriculture spread across the globe.

 Birth of Cities
Early settlements grew into

villages and then towns. The

larger towns were the centers

of religion and government.

After hundreds of years of

growth, the largest settlements

had enough people, power, and

wealth to be called cities.

Birth of Cities
Permanent settlements did not mean

that people were no longer on the

move. People continued to migrate.

As people moved from place to

place, they shared ideas and

cultures.
Farming and the use of tools and

technology spread, and the worlds

population rose.
 Key Term
Migration- The
movement of
people from
one country or
locality to
another.
 Gradually Change
People in settled farming

communities had an advantage

over hunter-gatherer groups.
Their communities had advanced

tools and large populations.

They could produce a steady supply

of food. These communities could

grow and spread faster.
Gradually Change
Over time, people changed from
nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled
members of farm-based communities.
This was a major change in early
peoples way of life. It led to better
health, longer life, and the beginning
of civilizations.
This change happened gradually over
thousands of years
The Agricultural Revolution
Video- Crash Course- The Agricultural Revolution
 Independent Activity
What has been the

muddiest point so far in

this lesson? That is, what

topic remains the least clear

to you? (4 minutes)
Partner Activity
Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
muddiest point with
theirs. Compare
what things are the
same and what
things are different?
(3 minutes)