Neolithic

Long ago, people changed how they lived.

They began to farm the land. They grew crops like wheat and peas.

People also kept animals. They lived with dogs, sheep, and goats.

This helped them stay in one place. They built homes out of mudbrick. Some even built big stone walls. This was a very new way to live.

The Neolithic was a new time in history. It is also called the New Stone Age. This period began about 12,000 years ago.

During this time, people changed how they lived. They stopped hunting and gathering for all their food. Instead, they began farming.

They grew crops like wheat, peas, and lentils. They also kept animals like sheep, goats, and pigs.

This allowed people to live in one place. They built permanent homes. Some used mudbrick to make walls. In the Levant, a place called Jericho became an early town. It had a large stone wall and a tower.

In other places, people made pottery to hold things. In some areas, they made art. They made small figures out of stone or clay. These changes helped shape the world we know today.

The Neolithic is a very important time in human history. It is also known as the New Stone Age. This period marked the end of the Stone Age in parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe.

During this era, a big change called the Neolithic Revolution took place. This was a set of new ways of living that happened in many places.

Instead of just hunting and gathering, people began to settle down. They started to farm the land and raise animals for food. This changed how humans lived with the world forever.

Farming works by changing how people get their food every day. In the beginning, people used wild grains for their meals. Over time, they learned to plant seeds and grow their own crops.

They also practiced animal husbandry, which means they kept and bred animals. They raised sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs to help them live. This allowed groups of people to stay in one place for a long time. They could build sturdy houses made of mudbrick or stone.

This way of life started about 12,000 years ago. It first appeared in places like the Near East and Mesopotamia.

A man named John Lubbock gave the period the name "Neolithic" in 1865. In the Levant, a group called the Natufians lived there before true farming began. They gathered wild cereals like wheat and lentils. Later, people developed even more crops like rice and millet. In China, this period lasted until about 2000 BC. In Egypt, it lasted until 3150 BC.

Many amazing places were built during the Neolithic. One very old site is Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, from around 9500 BC.

It has large stone pillars carved with animals and birds. Another famous place is Jericho in the Levant. Around 9000 BC, Jericho became one of the first towns. It had a massive stone tower and a wall for protection.

Another large settlement was 'Ain Ghazal in Jordan. It had about 3,000 people living there for many years.

The Neolithic connects to the way we live today. Our modern world relies on the farming started back then. People also began making art during this time. They made small figures out of clay or stone. Some people even made large statues of humans. These early changes led to the Copper Age and the Bronze Age. Eventually, these new tools and ways of life shaped all of history.

The Neolithic, or New Stone Age, is a vital archaeological period in human history.

It represents the final division of the Stone Age in parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. This era is defined by the Neolithic Revolution. This revolution was a wide-ranging set of developments that changed how humans lived. These changes appeared to arise independently in several different parts of the world. The term was coined by John Lubbock in 1865 to refine the three-age system.

The Neolithic Revolution worked through a specific set of changes called the "Neolithic package." This package included the introduction of farming and the domestication of animals. It also involved a shift from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a settled way of life. People moved from moving frequently to living in permanent settlements. They began to manage plants and animals to ensure a steady food supply. This shift allowed for the creation of more complex social structures. It changed the relationship between humans and their environment forever.

There were many different stages and types of Neolithic cultures. In the Near East, the period began with the Natufian culture. This was a "proto-Neolithic" stage where people relied on wild cereals. Later, the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) emerged around 10,200 BC. This stage saw the rise of true farming. Following this, the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) developed around 8800 BC. In this stage, settlements became larger and houses became rectangular. Eventually, the Late Neolithic appeared around 6,400 BC. This period saw the rise of distinct pottery-using cultures like the Halafian and Ubaid.

History shows that these developments happened at different times in different places. The Neolithic began about 12,000 years ago in the Near East and Mesopotamia.

In China, the period lasted until about 2000 BC. In Ancient Egypt, it lasted until the Protodynastic period in 3150 BC. In Scandinavia, it also lasted until around 2000 BC. Different regions had their own unique timelines. For example, some East Asian cultures used pottery before they even developed agriculture. This shows that the Neolithic process was not the same everywhere.

The significance of this period is seen in its massive geographic spread. Agriculture originated in several centers. The Fertile Crescent saw farming start 12,000 years ago. The Yangtze and Yellow River basins saw it 9,000 years ago. The New Guinea Highlands also saw farming 9,000 to 6,000 years ago. In Central and Northern South America, it began 5,000 to 4,000 years ago. Sub-Saharan Africa saw developments 5,000 to 4,000 years ago. These numbers show how the revolution transformed the entire planet.

Many notable examples of Neolithic life exist in the archaeological record. Göbekli Tepe in Turkey is a site from around 9500 BC.

It contains limestone pillars carved with animals and birds. Jericho is another famous example from the Levant.

Around 9000 BC, it became a town with a massive stone tower and a wall. Another large site was 'Ain Ghazal in Jordan. It housed about 3,000 people and featured early large-scale human statues. These sites prove how much social organization had grown.

The Neolithic connects to many broader systems of human development. The shift to farming led to the development of metallurgy. This transition is known as the Chalcolithic, or Copper Age.

The Chalcolithic began around 4500 BC in the Near East. This eventually led to the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. The way people managed land and animals also shaped early religious practices. We see this in burial findings and ancestor cults. These early systems provided the foundation for all future civilizations.