The first and most obvious factor is that, by the end of the last ice age, around 9000 BCE, people had learned a great deal about plants and animals. After observing animals at water holes or caring for injured animals, men may have decided to corral some of them. Meanwhile, women may have tried to grow some of the wild grains they gathered. Perhaps they noticed that where a basket of grain had spilled, new stalks began to grow, or noticed shoots sprouting from and women learned that, rather than simply rely on luck, they could control their food supply. Another factor contributing to the rise of agriculture was the end of the ice age, which resulted in a warmer, wetter climate. This led to a widespread abundance of wild grasses, including the ancestors of today's grains. A rise in population also accompanied the end of the ice age. The increase in population density led to increasing competition for land, which would eventually give the survival edge to agriculturists. On average, hunters and gatherers require 16 km^2 per person, whereas the same area can accommodate 100 agriculturists. The early farmers gained numerical superiority and eventually displaced the remaining hunter-gatherers.
The animals first domesticated were cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. Of these, cattle were the most important as they supplied meat, leather, and milk -- from which cheese and butter were made. When animals were slaughtered, nothing was wasted. Dishes were prepared using the udder, tripe (stomach), brains, bone, head, feet, tails, blood, and even gristle. Similarly, the weeds that grew in the grain fields were harvested along with the grain and often incorporated into the pottage (thick soup). Tow of the drinks enjoyed by Neolithic farmers were beer made for barley, and mead, an alcoholic beverage made by allowing honey and water to ferment. Mead was often flavored with wild fruit and herbs.
Improved tools allowed for better and more efficient agriculture. Using a sickle made of flint blades placed in a curved-segment of an antler, a family could harvest enough wheat in ten days to last them six months. Land could also be cleared more quickly with the improved tools. Axes made of flint could cut down a pine tree with a diameter of 17 cm in five minutes. The invention of the hoe allowed tilling of the soil. During the late Neolithic period, the development of metallurgy also produced a wider range of tools.Copper could now be used to make sharper knives, elegant drinking vessels, spits, buckets, and cauldrons.
The Neolithic Revolution resulted in a profound shift in society. People abandoned their semi-nomadic lifestyle and, instead, built permanent towns and cities. Some left the fields altogether, choosing to specialize in various rafts. As people began to take up different occupations, society became more hierarchical; a class system developed The domestication of animals and the planting of crops freed people from the endless pursuit of food, allowing further development of art, music, sports,and other leisure activities. It also enabled the development of more complex religions; society could now afford to maintain a priestly class that made no material contribution. The establishment of permanent cities and complex religions brought about the building of elaborate religious sites and tombs. In the process of shifting from hunting and gathering to farming, people laid the foundations for civilization.
Writing: ECHOES from the Past published by McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
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