Life Before Farming
What is a hunter-gatherer?
A person who moves place to place hunting animals and collecting wild plants, fruits, and nuts for food.
What was the Neolithic Revolution?
A big change when people began farming and raising animals instead of only hunting and gathering.
What is farming?
Planting seeds to grow crops and raising animals to provide food.
When people do different jobs instead of everyone doing the same work.
Name one benefit of farming.
More food
Permanent homes
Ability to store food
Population growth
Name two materials hunter gatherers used to make tools.
Stone
Bone
Wood
How many years ago did the Neolithic Revolution begin?
10,000
Name one farming tool and one farming method used in the Neolithic Era.
Irrigation
Give two examples of jobs that appeared after farming became common.
Craftsman
Leader
Priest
Trader
Name one problem that came with settling in villages.
Diseases spread more easily when people lived close together.
Farming took a long time and was hard work.
Name one reason life as a hunter-gatherer could be difficult.
Food could be hard to find.
People had to travel a lot.
Life was uncertain.
Name three crops or animals that early farmers grew or raised.
Wheat, rice, and corn.
Goats, sheep, and cows.
Explain how irrigation helped early farmers.
Irrigation moved water to fields so crops could grow more reliably, especially when rain was limited.
Explain how farming allowed people to have different jobs besides growing food.
Farming produced extra food that could be stored, so not everyone needed to farm. This allowed people to learn other skills and work as craftsmen, leaders, or traders.
Explain how farming led to a larger population of people.
Farming produced extra food that could be stored, which could then be used to feed and support more people.
Describe how hunter-gatherers found their food.
They hunted animals and gathered wild plants, fruits, and nuts.
Explain the changes that occurred during the Neolithic Revolution.
Farming changed how people got food, where they lived, and how societies were organized.
Describe how a tool like the plow changed farming and one effect it had on communities.
The plow made planting and turning soil easier, so farms were more productive. This led to more food, larger villages, and more people having jobs other than farming.
Describe two ways society changed because people began to own land and pass it on to their children.
Owning land led to inheritance and family property, which created social differences and created wealth for some families over others. It also encouraged more permanent communities and long-term planning.
Describe two long term effects the Neolithic Revolution had.
It led to leaders and organized governments.
It led to job specialization.
It led to the growth of cities.
It led to trade between communities.
Name one benefit of having a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
They could could move if they needed new resources.
They had a varied diet.
Why didn't the shift to farming happen the same way everywhere?
Different areas had different plants and animals available. Geography and climate caused differences in how farming began.
Explain how technologies and tools led to both more food and changes in jobs or social roles. Give one example of each.
Tools like the plow and irrigation increased crop production, allowing food to be stored and populations to grow. With more food, people became craftsmen and leaders, which created specialization and trade.
Specialization and land ownership made some people wealthier or more powerful, while others had fewer resources.
Name one positive effect and one negative effect of the Neolithic Revolution.
It produced more food.
It allowed permanent homes.
It led to new jobs and technology.
It led to the spread of more diseases.
It caused harder work for the farmers.