AP World History: How did the Neolithic Revolution lead to civilization?

Meet Otzi the Ice Man!

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

Otzi the Ice Man“Ötzi the Iceman, Europe's oldest mummy, likely suffered a head injury before he

died roughly 5,300 years ago, according to a new protein analysis of his brain tissue.

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 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, researchers say.

A few years ago, a CAT scan showed dark spots at the back of the mummy's cerebrum, indicating 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

The Spread of the Neolithic Revolution

Neolithic Agriculture

An ancient Egyptian ploughing and planting using the help of cows.

A Neolithic grindstone to make flour from grain.

Ancient Egyptian funerary model of a beer brewery.

Animal DomesticationDuring the Neolithic, people began to breed wild animals

in order to create more docile offspring. These animals were often used to help in farming.

What was the Neolithic Revolution continued…C) 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

Catal Hoyuk Houses

Catal Hoyuk houses were made from sun dried mud brick.

Jericho City Walls

Jericho Tower

At approximately 6,000 years old, this may be the oldest building still standing!

Neolithic Art at Jericho

These are plastered human skulls with seashells for eyes. What do you think their purpose was?

Granary at Megiddo (Modern Israel)

Granaries were built to store a surplus of grain for trade, as well as insurance against drought or a poor crop season.

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

B) Potters Wheel (c.6000BCE)•Allows the faster construction of potteryC) Irrigation & Animal Pulled Plows•Allows further increase of food production

III Further Technological Advancements

Further technological advancements continued…D) The working of metals became very important in the

making of tools and weapons.

1. Stone Age (Paleolithic)Made 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.

Bronze Age Smelting Recreation

That’s some good smelting!

III Stonehenge… A Neolithic Mystery

A) Stonehenge is a Neolithic monument in southern England. It was built between 3100 and 1100 BCE in stages.

B) At its height, there were 80 standing stones. The largest stones weighed 25 tons, and they were moved from Wales 240 miles away!

C) It may have been used as a burial site, for ceremonies, and/or as an astronomical calendar to aid in farming.D) Historians are still unsure who built it.

Stonehenge Aerial View

Advantages Costs

Steady food supplies

Increased populations

Leads to civilization

Accumulation of wealth

Crop failure may lead to starvation

Disease from close contact with animals, humans, & waste

Increased wealth leads to increased conflict

IV Costs and Advantages of the Neolithic Revolution

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

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

Key Vocabulary Paleolithic Revolution Neolithic Revolution Otzi the Iceman Surplus Civilization Domestication of animals Plough Grindstone Class differentiation Job differentiation Infrastructure Catal Huyuk

Jericho Megiddo Granary Stonehenge Copper Age Bronze Age Iron Age Smelting Indus River Huang He River Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Nile River