The rise of agriculture was so significant, bringing so many changes that scholars call it the Neolithic Revolution or the Agricultural Revolution. The definition of the Agricultural Revolution is as follows: the rise of the practice of agriculture, therefore creating the first agrarian settled societies and civilizations in the Neolithic Era.
As mentioned, before the development of agriculture, all humans were hunter-gatherers. They devoted their days to finding food, whether by hunting wild animals or picking fruits, vegetables, or nuts they could find in nature. Humans lived in bands no larger than 100 and migrated great distances in search of food. This drove humans to spread out of Africa and cross the continents. Because food was scarce and required notable effort to secure, the human population was low in this period.
Exactly when was the Agricultural Revolution? The Agricultural Revolution occurred not instantly, but gradually throughout a prolonged period. It also happened in different areas at different times; some places never developed agriculture independently. Archaeologists believe that the first beginnings of agriculture occurred when gatherers realized the seeds they cast off from their food would grow into plants when they returned to the spot the following season. Humans eventually began to plant seeds intentionally. Throughout many generations, humans selected plants that were more nutritious, these evolved plants from their wild origins to the domesticated versions, which were more reliable and could feed more people. The earliest crops domesticated by humans were:
- Wheat
- Barley
- Rye
Humans also domesticated wild animals around the same time. While wolves had been domesticated into dogs (which were great allies on the hunt or for gathering wild foods), it would take further effort to domesticate the usual farm animals humans rely upon today: pigs, chickens, and cows.
Now, the development of farming was also encouraged by the invention of new tools and technologies. The ard was one key early tool. An early version of the plow, the ard allowed farmers to shrug off strenuous labor onto animals. This tool was used to scrape a divot into the soil, allowing farmers to plant seeds more easily.
The development of clay pots or vessels was also critical to the Agricultural Revolution. By forming those objects out of clay, then roasting them, ancient humans created a convenient method of storing and preserving the food they harvested from their farms. This created greater food security.
Effects of the Agricultural Revolution
The Agricultural Revolution of the Neolithic Age had a profound and completely transformative effect on human history. Humans (at least those who adopted agriculture) now had a stationary food source. This meant they no longer needed to be nomadic. So, humans developed the first sedentary societies. In order to provide protection from the weather, they built huts and formed the first villages.
Farming also proved less labor-intensive than hunting or gathering since it did not require work year-round. This meant that people could spend their time doing things other than hunting or gathering. This also meant that some people did not need to devote their lives to food production but instead focused on other pursuits. While most people in agrarian societies were farmers, some were now free to be warriors, priests, scribes, merchants, or rulers. This marked the beginning of a greater division of labor and the creation of class.
Since farming was less labor intensive, it also meant that agrarian societies could produce a food surplus. This drove a significant increase in the human population. Those first villages grew into the first towns, then the first cities. Over the course of the Neolithic Era, these early cultures grew larger and more complex. All of these factors combined to spur the beginning of human civilizations over the next several thousand years. The earliest human civilizations were founded alongside rivers, which provided hydration to farms. They also tended to be founded in dry regions where people flocked to said rivers and where the warmth animated greater crop yields (though some ancient civilizations, such as China, were not founded in dry areas). The earliest civilizations, such as Egypt, Sumer, and Harappa, all arose alongside the Nile, the Tigris and Euphrates, and the Indus.
Agricultural Revolution: Complications
However, only some things were benevolent in the Agricultural Revolution. There were complications and negatives associated with the shift to a farming society. For one, dependence on crops meant that crop failure could spell the destruction of a society. This happened throughout the Neolithic Era, especially when climactic changes impacted farming villages.
Additionally, some scholars have contended that the agrarian diet was poorer than the hunter-gatherer diet. Hunting allowed humans a great source of protein (animal meat). When people exchanged hunting for farming, they swapped protein-rich food for a grain-based diet too quickly. The earliest cases of diabetes occurred as a result. Furthermore, greater time around farm animals led to a greater spread of zoonotic diseases; in later millennia, those zoonotic diseases would wipe out millions of people.
Other scholars also contend that the hunter-gatherer lifestyle was more equitable than previous lifestyles. Agriculture was associated with the rise of class societies, where most were farmers but a small few at the top, the elite, dominated through force or manipulation.
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