The Neolithic Transition Of The Palaeolithic Man

From the early prehistoric society until now, we often heard the word “adaptation”, which means the process of changing something or changing our behavior to deal with new situations. The ways people adjust their natural environment varies according to time, place, and tribe. Foraging is common way of adaptation that people uses for most of human history; however because of the population pressure, some people adopt agriculture to fulfill their need. This essay, will discuss the positive and negative aspects of life in hunting and gathering societies compared to the agricultural societies based on Martin Harris’ article “Murders in Eden” and Jared Diamond’s article “The Worst Mistake in the History of Human Race.”

Response- Humans started agriculture in the Neolithic time. When humans found out that they can plant they started to evolve. More ideas started to grow and finally humans figured out that they can make technology people switched from farming to making things and trading for new stuff .which caused the change in human lifestyles.

Political, economic, and social conditions have often led to turning points that have changed the course of history for nations and people. The Paleolithic Era and Neolithic Revolution was a turning point that changed the orbit of history for mankind. In Documents 1, 2, and 4, they explain life before the Neolithic Revolution and what changed during the period and provide an analysis of results of the revolution. They introduce food supply and settlement, and civilization and trade.

The increasing productivity that a farm has over a hunter-gatherer society clearly emphasizes advantages such as food, military use, clothing, specialization, and a strong political organization. With the domestication of animals for transportation and warfare, food production became an outlasting effect of civilization. With larger populations came specialization and food surpluses capable for feeding a larger population than the hunter gatherer societies. However, more food production meant more diseases. Using radiocarbon dating, it has been shown that food production spread quite quickly.

Farming, I learned, has an enormous impact on the growth of civilization. So much so, that Diamond spends seven chapters on the control food had over how successful a certain region became. Animals are integral to the success of human beings and that is why the shift from hunting-gathering to farming and domestication

Humanity adapted to agriculture in the Neolithic Era; man began to plant crops instead wandering around and gathering. Farming made it easier for humans to control their food supply. Another impact to adapting to agriculture, was that it made people decide to settling down permanently, which led to the creation of villages. Furthermore,

One of the many things that defined the Paleolithic Age was the small population growth as Nomadic hunter-gatherer groups consisting of 20-30 people were constantly migrating and following their prey. Around 10,000 BCE, humans began to cultivate crops such as wheat and barley; marking the beginning of farming. Farming was essential because not only did it enhance the way of living but it also lead to important advancements that serve as the fundamentals of many civilizations todays such as utilizing methods of irrigation and food storage as well as the construction of houses. Humans also began employing, or domesticating, animals for benefits aside from their previous, traditional use.

Ever since the dawn of the civilization, one of the most profound undertakings for the human kind has been the mission of discovering and understanding our bond with a divine power, a creator. Such knowledge would reveal us the purpose of our existence. Every one of the major religions of the world offers rules and recommendations that need to be followed in order for the worshiper to become enlightened, or one with God. And almost all of them use temples as sacred places that offer a connection between our world and the heavens. A place that allows our senses to get close to God.

Agriculturalists were able to create irrigation systems in order to help produce as many crops as possible with the application of water. This was a reliable source of water to help harvest crops, which was a technology advancement.

According to nutritional researchers, there are numerous benefits to eating in alignment with this genetic link to our collective ancestral past. In the Paleolithic Era or Stone Age prior to 10,000 BC, long before the development of agriculture and the domestication of farm animals, these hunter-gathers, as the name implies, subsisted on meat, fish, fruits, and berries – foods that were available, abundant, and in season. Grains and dairy came later after people turned from roaming the land following herds of wild animals to settle down and begin the business of farming and building what became the earliest civilizations.

During the Stone Age, particularly between the years 8000-3500 BC, humans began to domesticate plants and animals, a period also named the Neolithic (or Agrarian) Revolution. Despite the option being available, however, there were plenty who continued on with the life style of hunting and gathering; the more nomadic style. When this decision is questioned, many different qualities of both styles are brought to light as being advantageous, or the epithet of the opposite term, in different ways. The sedentary style of living required more effort, more people, and was not always reliable, but the benefits reaped from it, like a consistent, predictable food output, and the ability to establish places of indefinite occupation, sometimes were enough

After thousands of years some humans eventually moved from hunter gathering societies towards food production. The hunter-gathering lifestyle became “less rewarding as the resources on which they depended became less abundant or disappeared”

Domestication lead to a flurry of blessings for humanity. Such as the discovery of using furs and hides for cloths, manure for fertilizer, milk as a food source, and larger animals to pull carts and plows.5 There are many negative aspects of the development of agriculture in the Neolithic Period that impacted society greatly. One of these is that the gender roles and status in many farming villages changed negatively for women compared with the end of the Paleolithic Period. The role of the women in foraging bands at the end of the Paleolithic Period was the gathering of plants which the group heavily relied on and managing the group while the men where off hunting.6 After settling down into farming villages the roles of women were no longer helping to producing food and often stayed in the village maintaining the household and raising children.7 This major change from loose equality to the subordination of women is a negative aspect that is found throughout the ancient world. The domestication of wild game had a slew of benefits but not without its share of adverse aspects. Some of these aspects are most unpropitious such as new illnesses farmers encountered from such close contact with animals and their waste.8 The neolithic farmers were also smaller and less healthy than nomadic foragers

The appearance of urban living was one of the most influential developments in the Neolithic Revolution. Appearing as a result of another important advancement, agriculture, it resulted in a vast, albeit gradual, shift from nomadism and hunting-and-gathering to a sedentary lifestyle. Most importantly, this evolution would result in changes to social hierarchies, occupations in society, and the environment.

Noam Chomsky separates his surroundings in 2 groups. They are people that make decisions and have control over the politics, the culture and education of society. The 20% include big news corporations, for example he discusses The New York times quite a few time throughout the film. The remaining 80% are the followers. That is what most of the world is. These are people that either do not know, or do not care about the truth. Actually, the 80% has an important job and that is to be brainwashed. Without people acting like sheep, theses major corporations would not be able to function.