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Paleolithic Era/ Stone Age- 2.5 Million Years Ago to 10,000 Years Ago
- Humans lived as hunter-gatherers/ nomads
Lifestyle
- Small groups, mostly family
- No permanent home (limited ownership of possessions), shelters often natural like
caves or things that could be quickly broken down or easily improvised
- Informal leadership/ political systems
- Had to rely on wild plants and animals for food, often moved about by following
herds of animals
- Likely had equality between men and women because even though labor was
divided differently (men generally hunted, women generally gathered wild crops)
each job was important
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-About 10,000 years ago mankind transitioned to a new era, often referred to as the
Neolithic Era or the New Stone Age
- Major difference between Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras is that in the Neolithic Era
we see humans able to domesticate animals and plants and begin living in
permanent settlements
- Through trial and error ancient peoples learned about what plants would grow and
how to produce hardier crops, how to breed animals and increase their outputs
- Most archeologists and historians think the first animals domesticated were dogs,
which were used to help hunt wild animals and herd domesticated animals
The origins of agriculture and domestic animals.
- The development of agriculture and the domestication of animals took place
independently in different parts of the world, but the Near East, Mesoamerica,
southeast Asia, and China were among the first and most significant regions.
Even as some groups are forming permanent settlements and embracing agriculture,
some continued to hunt and gather. Some also never practiced agriculture/ permanent
settlement
Consequences
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- Domesticated crops and animals means that ancient people had more reliable food
supplies, an increase in their food supply, and could use animals for work
- Larger supplies of food meant that larger numbers of people could live together,
people start to settle in groups of several hundred
- Raising animals and growing crops meant that fewer people could be devoted to
food production then when everyone was needed to hunt /gather so this allowed
some people to take up economic activities other than agriculture
- Eventually groups that produce goods are able to build up more than they need,
which allows them to engage in trade with other settlements
- Different occupations and economic activities leads to difference in status. In many
areas we see social stratification/ class systems emerging. Generally in these
systems those with higher status have more control and increased rights and
privileges
- As larger groups of people lived in one place, more sophisticated forms of control
and government emerged
- Religion and spirituality became more formal, rituals developed, locations to
practice faith built in communities
- Competition for productive land, over herds of animals, over water resources leads
to conflict between communities and the beginnings of war
- Dependence on agriculture means that weather patterns could have catastrophic
effects on food- if there is a drought and crops don’t grow, people die
- Close contact between ancient people and ancient animals allowed animal diseases
like smallpox, influenza, and others to cross over to humans, closely settled
communities mean diseases spread easily between people
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One of the Neolithic communities that has provided historians with a great deal of
knowledge about life during this time is a settlement known as Catal Huyuk in modern
day Turkey. Catal Huyuk has sometimes been called the world's first city although this
is really an oversimplification.
Catal Huyuk was a farming community during the Neolithic Age. The site takes up 32
acres and is the largest settlement yet found from the period. The people of Catal
Huyuk primarily worked in agriculture and cultivated grains. Population estimates for
Catal Huyuk suggest that between 5,000 and 6,000 people lived there, for much of its
history with the possibility that as many 10,000 people lived there at one time. The
5,000-6,000 figure means that it was roughly the same size as Unionville in 2013.
The homes at Catal Huyuk were built in clusters and they connected in most places so
there were few to no streets. Entrances to homes were on the roof to provide
protection against intruders and floods. Crop and grazing fields surrounded the cluster.
Eventually ancient people began to live in larger settlements than Catal Huyuk and
even began to develop advanced civilizations. These civilizations often had features
that made them unique from villages like Catal Huyuk. These features include complex
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settlements (multiple linked cities- either through unified political control or through
shared culture), organized government, specialization of labor, social classes, record
keeping and writing, and advanced art and architecture. Due to the need for water to
support agricultural activities most of these early civilizations emerged near major
rivers.
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