WHA Study Guide for the Neolithic Revolution Test

primary source

A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study

Bronze Age

a period in the history of humankind, following the Stone Age and preceding the Iron Age, during which bronze weapons and implements were used.

artisans

a person skilled in an applied art

point-of-view

a specified or stated manner of consideration or appraisal; standpoint; opinion, attitude, or judgment

narrative

a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious

Advanced Cities

an advanced state of human society, in which a high level of culture, science, industry, and government has changed the environment in which they live in

plow agriculture

an agricultural implement used for cutting, lifting, turning over, and partly pulverizing soil. any of various implements resembling or suggesting this, as a kind of plane for cutting grooves or a contrivance for clearing away snow from a road or track. Done by the plow.

argument

an exchange of diverging or opposite views; a reason or set of reasons given with the aim of persuading others that an action or idea is right or wrong

Bureaucrats

an official who works by fixed routine without exercising intelligent judgment

How did food determine the structure of hunter-gatherer and agricultural societies?

For H-G societies, they had to live were the food was. People could not depend on always getting food everyday. Also, food was mostly meat for them. But most importantly, it meant H-Gs had to have a strict egalitarian state to survive. As for agricultural societies, the food was where the people were, so farmers didn't have to move. They were better able to know when they were getting food, and have extra. So food used to allow people to try new things that wasn't farming of hunting. But in this society, people did nit have the same amount of stuff or respect, so inequality began with the "big man".

secondary source

For the purposes of a historical research project, secondary sources are generally scholarly books and articles. Also included would be reference sources like encyclopedias. Information based of off primary sources.

How, when, and why did humans switch from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to an agricultural and village life, and ultimately urban life?

Humans switched to an agricultural lifestyle over time, mostly during the Paleolithic age. They did so by discovering ways to plant seed for fruits and vegetables that could later be stored. Why this became favorable was because abundance if crops grew, wildlife depleted, and farming societies were able to defeat rival hunter-gather societies thanks to guns, germs, and steel. Also farming led to a surplus in food, which led to bigger communities of people. Also, farming requires people to be sedentary.

Why did advanced civilization begin on the Eurasia continent rather than other countries?

Hunting and Gathering was less favorable than farming in that continent before any other continent. This was because there was more crops instead of wildlife. And it was the most drastic in this part of the world. So farming being the main source of getting food, and it being the most widely used method of obtaining food in Eurasia meant this was were it was first widely excepted. Since the people of Eurasia started farming first, they had the first surplus in food, which led to the first specialists. They produced better technologies before any other area. Also, since they first started farming, they received the first diseases that would keep on evolving. This was a huge advantage over other areas in the world. So they were the first to develop and advance as a societies.

How did the move to agriculture and civilization change human life? Was the change entirely positive?

It change human life because now humans had a more reliable source of food. Also, the way of getting food was a lot less dangerous. Farming then led to a surplus of food to give to people who specialize at tasks that isn't farming. This meant new technologies and medicine can made life more comfortable. And, a better understanding of the world was made. The change was not entirely positive though, because it at first, it made life harder, diseases occurred, health quality went down, and not enough food was made to go with the harder style of living. Plus, it led to inequality.

How and why did patriarchy develop?

It started when woman who used to do most of the farming lost their jobs to men. This was because communities shifted from horticultural farming to plow farming, which was more labor. And men were more willing and sometimes better at the new and more profitable way of living. Also, hunting and gathering was less rewarding for men, so they decided to take up the farming, event though women started farming first. Also, women were now forced by the community to be mostly used for making children to supply the increasing work force. This role was not as valued. Also, men started getting more money because of this, so they were more powerful in the community than women in wealth and status. Also, women were used as objects to show how well off a family is, so they became possessions.

geographic luck

Living in an environment that is easy to survive and evolve in, an geographic location that makes life, and improving in life, easy.

How did the Neolithic Revolution contribute to human inequality?

The Neolithic revolution meant that the egalitarian society of H-Gs were switched to an unequal but more advanced society. The fact that farmers made a surplus of food allowed specialization of jobs. Some jobs were more important than others to the community, so those people got more food and status and materials than others. That is inequality.

What was the Neolithic Revolution? How revolutionary was it?

The Neolithic revolution was the first agricultural revolution—the transition from nomadic hunting and gathering communities and bands to agriculture and settlement. It occurred in different prehistoric human societies at different times. It was huge in revolutionizing how we live (creating major positives and negatives). Instead of hunting meat, we can now focus on specializing in different areas of advancement. However, it started inequality between the rich and poor, men and women, and races. But it also allowed for a bigger population to advance society to making life easier and understandable. This means we can have more people work toward equality, with all the advancements in technology and fields of study. So it was an improvement, but slightly. More progress occurred after it. During different periods of time.

Venus figurines/statues

The Venus figurines is a term given to a collection of prehistoric statuettes of women made during the Paleolithic Period

Peter's projection

The accurate representation of the world on a world map where every land mass and body of water is drawn in a realistic scale. The southern hemisphere is then a lot bigger, and the northern hemisphere is smaller.

Paleolithic Age

The cultural period of the Stone Age that marked earliest use of tools made of chipped stone. The Paleolithic Period ended at different times in different parts of the world, generally around 10,000 years ago in Europe and the Middle East. The time when the mass majority used stone. THE PERIOD OF HUNTING AND GATHERING.

Mercator projection

The map of the world that portrays the northern hemisphere to be bigger than it is, and the southern hemisphere smaller.

Neolithic Age

The time when farming , domesticating animals, and more sedentary life was introduced, developed, and the ideas of those things were made in whole

What defines civilization? What are the problems with the traditional definition of civilization?

What defines civilization is how much a people manipulate their surrounding environments. Before it was how smart, how much wealth and manners, how big a group is, and often a representation as a stage where white people were ahead and are doing better in life since there communities are more complex. The problems with that is it doesn't include everyone. Some people are smart and well mannered, but don't have complex communities. Even though manners is only how someone conducts themselves. Plus, people can live easy lives, and not need a hierarchy. How much you change your environment to make up for your needs is how civilized you are since you are living more in an ideal world, instead of a biased view that people who are more well off than others are doing better. That isn't community when there is a lot of them. Especially if there land is easier to live in. Community isn't how well someone is living, its how far you developed your area. This way, everyone is included to be civilized, and it doesn't tend to lean towards a race.

village

a group of houses and associated buildings, larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town, situated in a rural area. A small group living in a sedentary area able to maintain life.

nomadic

a member of a people or tribe that has no permanent abode but moves about from place to place, usually seasonally and often following a traditional route or circuit according to the state of the pasturage or food supply.

complex institute

an organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like, devoted to the promotion of a particular cause or program, especially one of a public, educational, or charitable character

textile

any cloth or goods produced by weaving, knitting, or felting.

hierarchy

any system of persons or things ranked one above another

egalitarian

asserting, resulting from, or characterized by belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, economic, or social life.

Subjective

based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.

pottery

pots, dishes, and other articles made of earthenware or baked clay. Pottery can be broadly divided into earthenware, porcelain, and stoneware

specialization

pursuing a particular line of study or work and making that what you are best at

objective

something that one's efforts or actions are intended to attain or accomplish; purpose; goal; target:

surplus

something that remains above what is used or needed

sedentary

tending to spend much time seated; somewhat inactive. To stay at one location.

evidence

that which tends to prove or disprove something; ground for belief; proof; something that makes plain clear: and indication or sign.

forage

the act of searching for provisions of any kind

historiography

the body of techniques, theories, and principles of historical research and presentation; methods of historical scholarship.

technology

the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment. the application of this knowledge for practical ends

centralization

the concentration of administrative power in a central government, authority, etc.

horticulture

the cultivation of a garden, orchard, or nursery; the cultivation of flowers, fruits, vegetables, or ornamental plants

Stone Age

the first known period of prehistoric human culture characterized by the use of stone tools

Neolithic Revolution

the origin and consequences the introduction of agriculture, domestication of animals, and a more sedentary life during the later part of the Stone Age

gender roles

the public images of being male or female that a person presents to others.

Agriculture

the science, art, or occupation concerned with cultivating land, raising crops, and feeding, breeding, and raising livestock; farming.

teleology

the study of the evidences of design or purpose in nature

Metallurgy

the technique or science of working or heating metals so as to give them certain desired shapes or properties.

subsistence

to exist; continue in existence. to remain alive; live, as on food, resources

interpretation

to give or provide the meaning of; explain; explicate; elucidate

corroboration

to make more certain; confirm

herding animals

to move animals from one location to another in a group

cultivate

to prepare and work on (land) in order to raise crops; till

domesticate

to tame (an animal), especially by generations of breeding, to live in close association with human beings as a pet or work animal and usually creating a dependency so that the animal loses its ability to live in the wild.

Urban Age

when people started to live in communities with specialized workers, a government, and agriculture was the main way of obtaining food. A time when patriarchy and hierarchy developed, and when technology influenced greatly the lives of many.

string revolution

when women discovered how to use fibers from plants to make string to use for crating textiles and fabrics.