Aim: How did the Neolithic Revolution lead to civilization?

Do Now: You are part of a crime scene investigation unit. You will investigate the remains of a man found in the Alps, as well as artifacts

found on and near him. Your lab has confirmed that he is 5300 years old.Your goal is to figure out who this man was and his cause of death.

NY State Learning Standards 2Common Core RS 1, 2, 7, WS 1

Otzi the Ice Man “Ever since a pair of hikers stumbled upon his astonishingly well-preserved frozen body in the Alps in 1991, Ötzi has become one of the most-studied ancient human specimens. His face, last meal, clothing and genome have been reconstructed — all contributing to a picture of Ötzi as a 45-year-old, hide-wearing, tattooed agriculturalist who was a native of Central Europe (5,300 years ago!) and suffered from heart disease, joint pain, tooth decay and probably Lyme disease before he died. None of those conditions, however, directly led to his demise. A wound reveals Ötzi was hit in the shoulder with a deadly artery-piercing arrow, and an undigested meal in the Iceman's stomach suggests he was ambushed... A few years ago, a CAT scan indicated Ötzi also suffered a blow to the head that knocked his brain against the back of his skull during the fatal attack.” –Huffington Post 2013

I What was the Neolithic Revolution?A) From the time of the first hominid (6-7 million years ago), until

8,000 BCE was the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age).B) In 8,000 BCE the Neolithic Revolution changed the way humans live

around the world. People learned how to farm, settled in communities, and domesticated animals.

A revolution is a sudden, radical or

complete change in a society.

OLD STONE AGE

NEW STONE AGE

Animal Domestication, Beer, and BreadC) During the Neolithic, people began to

breed wild animals in order to create more docile offspring. These animals were often

used to help in farming.

D) Archaeologists are still debating which came first; beer or bread? Yeast is required

for bread to rise and grain sugars to turn into alcohol. Whatever the answer, Neolithic people planted grain such as barley and

wheat. They then had to remove the husk (hard shell). From there, they could grind

the grain into flour.

A model of an ancient Egyptian beer brewery.

What was the Neolithic Revolution continued…E) By building permanent settlements, societies were able to

store a surplus (extra) of food. This eventually led to…

Surplus of food & large population

Water supply (often by river)

Complex infrastructure

(buildings, roads)

Complex government Complex religion

Job differentiation (people do

different jobs based on skills)

Class differentiation (people are ranked based on wealth and/or status)

Trade

CIVILIZATION

II Rise of the first citiesA) Catal Huyuk

Modern Turkey – First settled 7,000 BCE

B) JerichoModern Israel – First settled 7,000

BCE

Catal Hoyuk and Jericho: Neolithic Villages

Catal Hoyuk houses were made from sun dried mud

brick.

Above is an ancient granary where the village of Jericho would store

surplus (extra) grain. Why was that a significant accomplishment?

A) Grinding Stone•Grinds grain into flour for bread and beer

B) Potters Wheel (c.6000BCE)•Allows the faster construction of pottery

C) Irrigation & Animal Pulled Plows•Faster and increased food production

III Additional Neolithic Technology

Additional Neolithic Technology Continued…D) The working of metals became very important in the

making of tools and weapons.1. Stone Age (Paleolithic) 5+ million years ago – 8000 BCEMade tools and weapons from stone

2. Copper Age 3500 – 2300 BCEMelted copper ore to create stronger tools and weapons.

3. Bronze Age 2300 – 1000 BCESmelted (melted together) copper and tin ores to form bronze.

4. Iron Age 1000 BCE – 550 BCEHotter smelting ovens allowed for the melting of iron ore.

Metals need extreme heat and great skill to soften or melt in order to create tools.

III Stonehenge… A Neolithic Mystery

A) Stonehenge is a Neolithic monument in southern England. It was built between 3100 and 1100 BCE in stages. At its height, there were 80 standing stones. The largest stones weighed 25 tons, and they were moved from Wales 240 miles away!B) It may have been used as a burial site, for ceremonies, and/or as an astronomical calendar to aid in farming.C) Historians are still unsure who built it. However, we do know that it took a large population with an organized labor force.

IV Neolithic MigrationsA) Indo-Europeans: Sanskrit (an ancient language of India) has many similarities to Greek, Latin, and Celtic. Historians believe this is due to migrations of the Indo-Europeans (4000 – 1000 BCE) during the Neolithic across Europe and India, whom had spoken an even more ancient “mother” language.

Neolithic Migrations Continued…B) The First Americans: During the last major ice age (15,000 – 11,000 years ago), the ocean level was lower, revealing a “land bridge” connecting Siberia (Russia) and Alaska, which today is under the ocean. According to the Bering Strait Theory, Siberians walked from Siberia to Alaska following big game animals, and over many generations walked south, populating the Americas. However, because the oldest archaeological site in the Americas is Monte Verde in South America, today many scientists believe that people from Asia may have also arrived in the Americas by boat.

Good Bad

Steady food supply

Increased population

Allowed for

permanent

settlements and the

rise of civilization

Accumulation of

wealth

Crop failure may lead to starvation

Disease from close contact with animals, humans, and waste

Increased wealth may lead to increased conflict and war

Unequal distribution of wealth

V Was the Neolithic Revolution Good or Bad?

VI Development of River Valley CivilizationsBy 3500BCE, relatively large, advanced civilizations had developed along

the Indus, Huang He, Nile, and Tigris & Euphrates Rivers.

1. Compare and contrast the Paleolithic and the Neolithic.

2. Which would you prefer to live in and why?

Key VocabularyAnimal DomesticationBantu MigrationBering Strait TheoryBronze AgeCatal HuyukCivilizationCopper AgeGranaryGrindstone Indo-European Migration Infrastructure

Iron Age JerichoNeolithic RevolutionOtzi the IcemanPaleolithicPloughRevolutionSurplusSmeltingStonehenge