Chapter 1

Chapter 1

• 12,000 years ago new shift in Eurasia, Africa and the Americas
• deliberate cultivation of plants and domestication of animals
• known as Agricultural or Neolithic Revolution
• implications for every aspect of human life
• Paleolithic and Neolithic periods represent all but last 5500 years of human history

• History courses often neglect Neolithic and Paleolithic periods.
• start with civilizations instead
• argue earlier periods largely unknowable 3. pace of change relatively slow
• little of significance happened

• It’s wrong to ignore the first 200,000 years of human existence.
• archeologists, biologists, demographers, linguists, and anthropologists cast light on the period
• achievements of Paleolithic peoples important settled the planet
• created the earliest human societies
• were the first to reflect on issues of life and death
• achievements of Neolithic peoples important as well
• agriculture arguably the most profound
• transformation of human life in all of history

• while achievements slow compared to civilizations, quick compared to other species

• changes cultural or learned, rather than biological
• foundation on which all subsequent history was constructed

• Out of Africa: First Migrations
• Homo sapiens emerged in eastern and southern Africa 250,000 years ago.

1. stayed there exclusively for about 150,000 years
2. Africa was home to the “human revolution,” in which culture became more important than biology in shaping human behavior
3. technological innovation: use of stone and bone tools
4. hunting and fishing, not just scavenging
5. patterns of exchange
6. between 100,000–60,000 years ago: beginning of migrations out of Africa
• adapted to nearly every environment on earth
• much took place in the difficulties of the last Ice Age

It was interesting learning about the human societies in the Paleolithic era. I also learned about the conditions of life in gathering and hunting societies. There were many factors that changed in gathering and hunting societies. In addition it was interesting learning about the development of agriculture and its local variations.