Transcript Early Humans - Lee County Schools / Homepage

6th Grade UBD - Unit 2 - Neolithic Revolution

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.

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)

Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
answer with theirs.
What things are
the same and what
things are
different? (3
minutes)

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.

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.

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.

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
RevolutionThe time when
human begins first
domesticated plants
and animals and no
longer relied entirely
on hunting and
gathering.

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.

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.

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.

Farming developed in several
parts of the world at about the
same time.

What early farmers grew
depended largely on their
region’s climate.

Researchers generally believe
that barley and wheat were the
first crops that were planted
and harvested.

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.

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.

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.

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.
Reading Handout- Domesticating 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.

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.

The creation of pottery reveals
people’s 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.
Reading Handout- Technology Then and Now

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.

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.

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
world’s population rose.
Key Term
Migration- The
movement of
people from
one country or
locality to
another.

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.

Over time, people changed from
nomadic hunter-gatherers to
settled members of farm-based
communities.

This was a major change in early
people’s way of life. It led to better
health, longer life, and the
beginning of civilizations.

This change happened gradually
over thousands of years
Video- Crash Course- The Agricultural Revolution

What has been the
“muddiest” point so far in
this lesson? That is, what
topic remains the least
clear to you? (4 minutes)

Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
muddiest point with
theirs. Compare
what things are the
same and what
things are different?
(3 minutes)