Origins of Agriculture

Paleolithic Society (Old stone age)

Basic tools made of rough stone.

Having to follow herds for meat and constant sourcing of berries and mushrooms.

Paleolithic societies generally consisted of around 500 members.

Lived in the same region but would have a rotation of where they hunted and gathered.

Would often create small, temporary settlements near water.

Believe that in some areas, men and women had the same jobs as hunter and gatherers but no evidence of power equity.

Each small group of people would require between 50km2-500km2 to sustain.

Neolithic Revolution (New stone age)

Basic tools now polished and forged with higher quality.

Settlements become permanent (city, states).

Wheat and barley were the first plants believed to be grown by Neolithic people.

Domestication of animals begin.

First farming settlement believed to be in southwestern china around 9500 BCE.

Raising crops and Domesticated animals didn't arrive in Britain until around 3000 BCE.

The development of agriculture had let to an explosion of population growth over the next 10,000 years of roughly 25x.