The Neolithic Revolution

[Faísca]

The Neolithic Revolution established a new set of standards that made an important change in our way of human living. Between 8000 and 6000 B.C., the Neolithic Revolution was the transition from a food gathering society to a food producing society, when humans settled down to cultivate their food, instead of following their food. Many significant economic, political and social changes, both beneficial and detrimental, occurred during this change in lifestyle.

Before the Neolithic Revolution, people lived in the Paleolithic Era. During this time, humans lived in small, semi-nomadic clans whose primary function was to hunt and gather food. Mobility was an aspect that was highly valued. Since their food source was primarily big game, clans had to be ready to pack up and leave whenever they ran out of food. Due to this, clans comprised of only 30-50 people so they could move when necessary. With only 30 – 50 people, a clan, was a small face-to-face society, where everyone knew each other. Material possessions were not valued due to the fact that it was hard to carry things from place to place. During this time, clans had an informal, personalized organization of power. The authority of the clan was simply given to the elders. Since there was no need for material possessions, everything that the clan owned was shared property. Also, there was no distinction in status between one person and another, making everyone roughly equal. In general, the health of the semi-nomadic society was fairly good. There were no epidemics because as soon as a virus killed everyone in a clan, there was no place for it to go, therefore ending that specific virus within one clan. Also, humans didn’t have any cavities, since their diet was comprised of meat. Finally, women played an important role in this society. Most women did not have many children, which allowed the women to be involved in gathering food. Also, infants were a burden for mothers to carry when they had to leave for a new area.

A new agricultural process, essential to the production of food, was domestication. Domestication is the genetic manipulation of plants and animals that allows humans to enhance favorable characteristics and eliminate unfavorable characteristics, in an artificially created environment. This allowed humans to be in control of the food produced, instead of being at the mercy of the land and not knowing when they would have food and when they would not. This completely changed the society. Lifestyles changed from a high value on mobility and low value on possessions, to the opposite. Humans started to settle and produce their own food, rather than following herds of animals. Material possessions such as farms tools, food, clothes, and pottery were all highly valued. Populations started to grow. Women started to have more children since it was no longer a burden to carry them. Also, children were helpful on the farms. The general health of the public seemed to decline. Since domestication, humans started to have cavities from the new introduction to carbohydrates. Epidemics such as malaria, TB, and typhoid arose and started to spread and kill more people since groups of people were sedentary and larger. Also, the presence of parasites increased, because when clans travelled, they would leave behind any parasites that infested their living areas. Also, the lifespan, of both men and women, decreased. The biggest mortality factor in women was childbirth. Since there were more pregnancies, more women died in childbirth. In men, the greatest cause of death was warfare. Eventually, a new type of political structure had to be established. Society went from a small, informal society to a large, impersonal hierarchy. Military and religious leaders were given authority over the group. Distinctions in social class began to arise based on the value of material goods. Property was based on private wealth, not on the wealth of the group. Finally, this new structured society established specified tasks for people of these communities to help. Women stayed home with their children, while men went out and plowed the fields or did other tasks. A mineral, Obsidian, allowed people of the group to become crafts people who carved wood with the Obsidian. Agriculture also established other new items as well such as clothes. Before cloth, people wore pelts of skin, which were hot and unsanitary. Now people could create all kinds of materials such as linen, wool and leather. All of these developments changed tremendously the way of life.

The Neolithic Revolution changed the way humans daily lived their lives. This change was beneficial because it created a consistent food source, new materials, and new tasks. On the others hand, health declined, the social and political atmosphere became impersonal, and a gap was created between the wealthy and the poor. Although some of these things are not favorable, the importance of this first major progression in civilization has shaped our society today.

[Vitor]

In truth we are ill equiped for stratified society.

well Humans arise more than 200 000 years ago, and we lived most of that time like hunt gatheres!


The best compromise is living in small villages, where everyone knows the neighbour, it's healthier mentaly and perharps social interactions are more evident and more profound.

Cities are Evil!

[Graeme]

I don't think cities are inherently evil. Civilisation and cities are tied together. Those Sumerians had their Cities albeit aggressive and competitive one with the other. The Indus Valley civilisation had its cities like Harappa. Meso American civilisation had its cities. What is the Hellenic or Roman civilisations without Rome, Athens, Sparta, Corinth and so on? Like it or not, civilisation did not arise in any villages or hamlets.

The domestication of animals lead to the decline in health due to the close proximity of animals with humans. Many diseases like smallpox and measles were originally herd animal diseases mainly bovine which jumped species as Influenza does today. Living closer together also helps spread disease.