Chapter 1

The Neolithic Revolution was a significant change in living patterns that happened in the New Stone Age following the end of the last ice age around 10,000 B.C.E. the Neolithic Revolution involved the shift of ancient people from a hunting and gathering society to one that was focused on agriculture which led to permanent settlements, the establishment of social classes, and the eventual rise of civilizations. The Neolithic Revolution had a big impact on humans. It allowed people to stay in one place, which meant they were able to farm, cultivate crops, and domesticate animals for their own use. It also allowed humans to develop a system of irrigation, a calendar, plows, and metal tools. As a result of this, permanent settlements were established, creating the setup for civilization and society. Overall the Neolithic Revolution changed the way humans lived.

A civilization is a complex culture in which large numbers of people share a variety of common elements. Historians have identified a number of basic characteristics of civilization. One characteristic is an urban focus. Cities became centers of development and emerged much larger than their Neolithic predecessors. Another is new political and military structures. Armies were formed to gain land and power, and for defense. A government bureaucracy was also formed to meet administrative demands of the increasing population. An additional reason was a new social structure based on economic power. There was the upper class of kings, priests, warriors, and political leaders, free common people (farmers, artisans, craftspeople), and, at the bottom, a class of slaves. There was also the development of more complexity in a material sense, and a distinct religious structure. The development of writing was an important characteristic used to keep records. Finally, new and significant artistic and intellectual activity.

A civilization is the stage of human social development and organization that is considered most advanced. Society is the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community. These words mean two different things which is why there can be confusion when using the term civilization when discussing societies. Because a society can be just any group of people that live together, civilization is a term that cannot always be used accurately to describe one. A civilization is typically much more advanced than a society. A civilization also usually had an urban focus, new political and military structures, a new social structure based on economic power, the development of more complexity at a material sense, a distinct religious structure, the development of writing, and new and significant artistic and intellectual activity. Societies could have been filled with completely different people. All civilizations can be societies, but not all societies are civilizations.

Societies that rely primarily or exclusively on hunting wild animals, fishing, and gathering wild fruits, berries, nuts, and vegetables to support their diet. The change from being hunter-gatherers to an agricultural society is an important development because it separates the Old Stone Age (Paleolithic) from the new Stone Age (Neolithic).

A Babylonian legal code of the 18th century B.C. or earlier, instituted by Hammurabi and dealing with criminal and civil matters. It teaches us about Mesopotamian society, and is the basis of our modern-day legal code.

Asian river that flows into the Arabian Sea. The Indus river valley was home to civilizations, and the river itself provided the necessary water.

An area of fertile land extending around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The supposed beginning of human life, all humans were speculated to have come from here.

Also means the yellow river, it is a river in China named for the vast quantities of yellow silt it carries to its delta. Known as the birthplace of Chinese civilization, its river banks provide fertile soil that is often washed away in floods.

Semitic people inhabiting ancient Phonecia and its colonies, prospered from trade and manufacturing until its capital was sacked by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. they invented the first phonetic alphabet.