I. The Neolithic Revolution (Agricultural Revolution)
The Neolithic Revolution began about 10,000 years ago.
• Before the Revolution: Human beings survived primarily by hunting and gathering and wandering
from place to place.
• The Change: The discovery of planting seeds on purpose meant waiting for crops to sprout,
resulting in a significantly larger food supply than hunting and gathering provided.
• Origin: This phenomenon of farming took place all around the world, but the original (OG) farmers
came from Southwest Asia (Mesopotamia).
• Consequences of Farming:
◦ People largely settled in one place.
◦ People built permanent structures for crop storage and religious purposes.
◦ A huge population explosion occurred because more food equals more babies.
◦ Agricultural societies generally grew up around water, specifically rivers.
Key River Valley Societies:
• Nile River Society (North Africa)
• Yellow River Valley (East Asia)
• Indus River Valley (South Asia)
• River valleys of Mesoamerica
• Andes mountain society
II. Early Civilizations and Social/Political Structures
Around 6,000 years ago, the first major cities emerged, first in Mesopotamia and then in the Nile
River Valley. The word "civilization" means a society that has a city.
• City Building: Cities featured astonishing building programs, including pyramids, ziggurats, and
palaces for the elite.
• Hierarchy: Societies were organized hierarchically, broken up into distinguished classes. Those
at the top typically wrote the laws and levied taxes.
◦ An example of an early legal code establishing clear societal hierarchies was the Code of
Hammurabi, which mentioned "an eye for an eye".
◦ Generally, social structures were ordered from political/religious elites at the top, followed by
merchants, warriors, crafts people, laborers, and slaves.
• Writing: The invention of writing occurred during this time, first used for utilitarian purposes, such
as keeping track of grain supplies.
◦ In Mesopotamia, the written language was cuneiform.
◦ In Egypt, it was hieroglyphics.
◦ Writing eventually expanded to produce literature, explaining the creation of the world and
expounding the meaning of life (e.g., the Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia and the Rigveda
from the Indus Valley)
Early Religions
Religion Origin Description
The Neolithic Revolution began about 10,000 years ago.
• Before the Revolution: Human beings survived primarily by hunting and gathering and wandering
from place to place.
• The Change: The discovery of planting seeds on purpose meant waiting for crops to sprout,
resulting in a significantly larger food supply than hunting and gathering provided.
• Origin: This phenomenon of farming took place all around the world, but the original (OG) farmers
came from Southwest Asia (Mesopotamia).
• Consequences of Farming:
◦ People largely settled in one place.
◦ People built permanent structures for crop storage and religious purposes.
◦ A huge population explosion occurred because more food equals more babies.
◦ Agricultural societies generally grew up around water, specifically rivers.
Key River Valley Societies:
• Nile River Society (North Africa)
• Yellow River Valley (East Asia)
• Indus River Valley (South Asia)
• River valleys of Mesoamerica
• Andes mountain society
II. Early Civilizations and Social/Political Structures
Around 6,000 years ago, the first major cities emerged, first in Mesopotamia and then in the Nile
River Valley. The word "civilization" means a society that has a city.
• City Building: Cities featured astonishing building programs, including pyramids, ziggurats, and
palaces for the elite.
• Hierarchy: Societies were organized hierarchically, broken up into distinguished classes. Those
at the top typically wrote the laws and levied taxes.
◦ An example of an early legal code establishing clear societal hierarchies was the Code of
Hammurabi, which mentioned "an eye for an eye".
◦ Generally, social structures were ordered from political/religious elites at the top, followed by
merchants, warriors, crafts people, laborers, and slaves.
• Writing: The invention of writing occurred during this time, first used for utilitarian purposes, such
as keeping track of grain supplies.
◦ In Mesopotamia, the written language was cuneiform.
◦ In Egypt, it was hieroglyphics.
◦ Writing eventually expanded to produce literature, explaining the creation of the world and
expounding the meaning of life (e.g., the Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia and the Rigveda
from the Indus Valley)
Early Religions
Religion Origin Description
