Neolithic Revolution: Agriculture, Pottery, and Sedentary Life
The Neolithic Revolution
About 12,000 years ago, the planet warmed up, causing the ice sheets to retreat towards the poles. This brought profound changes to the natural world. The megafauna adapted to the cold, such as the mammoth, largely disappeared, replaced by smaller to medium-sized animals. In colder regions previously dominated by steppes, large forests emerged. In warmer areas, forests were replaced by grasses, which came to dominate much of the landscape. Grasses are a large and diverse family of plants, including cereals.
Humans continued their nomadic lifestyle, gathering and hunting, but with increasing contact with animals and plants. This led to a greater understanding of their life cycles.
The Rise of Agriculture and Livestock Farming
The term “Neolithic” originates from John Lubbock’s research into a new tool-making technique: stone polishing. While this technique allowed for the creation of more efficient tools, the most significant development of the Neolithic period was the emergence of agriculture and livestock farming.
Continuous interaction with animals and plants allowed humans to understand their life cycles. In some regions, groups began experimenting with plants, eventually cultivating them. This transformation profoundly impacted human societies.
The earliest cultivation occurred in areas where grasses and cereals were abundant. The first recorded use of seeds for cultivation is found in modern-day Syria and Palestine, approximately 11,000 to 10,000 years ago. From there, agricultural practices spread to surrounding areas, mainly Anatolia and Mesopotamia. This pattern of agricultural emergence and expansion was repeated in other regions of the world. Simultaneously, humans began domesticating animals for consumption.
Pottery and the Mastery of Fire
Besides agriculture and livestock farming, another crucial Neolithic discovery was pottery. Humans began creating ceramic containers for better preserving and transporting products. This was made possible by their mastery of fire: clay needs to be rapidly dehydrated at high temperatures to create ceramics. The Neolithic also saw the inception of rudimentary kilns. Gradually, these kiln techniques were refined for greater efficiency.
The Transition to Sedentary Life
Food production and the development of pottery brought about profound changes in human populations’ lifestyles. Human populations that developed agriculture and pottery gradually transitioned from a nomadic to a sedentary lifestyle.
The First Settlements and Cities
The first stable settlements emerged in regions where agriculture had already developed, such as northern Syria, Palestine, southern Turkey, and northern Mesopotamia. However, these settlements were eventually abandoned after several generations (around 20 to 30 or more).
This transition to stable settlements resulted in the appearance of the first cities in some of these regions. According to many scholars, the first “cities” emerged in Anatolia (Turkey): Hacilar and Çatal Hüyük. These early cities were characterized by a considerable population, high levels of production, specialized labor, and designated spaces for various functions, including non-productive activities like religious practices.