The Neolithic Era

Q: Examine the profound changes brought about by the discovery of agriculture. How has human history stayed the same and changed over time? In what way did this seemingly simple discovery change the course of human history? You may reference your experience with the Guns, Germs, and Steel video series… A: The Neolithic era means “new stone”, divergent from the “old stone” of the Paleolithic era. Scientist had discovered that tool and stone production wasn’t the only thing that distinguished the Neolithic era from the Paleolithic era. The early stages of agricultural society are referred to as the Neolithic era. Over the years, agriculture has changed when it comes to the global climate. Although, there are also things that have stayed the same, like the gender relations. Geography and agriculture helped shaped the world into what we know as today. During the ice ages, the world as we know it was more bleak and dry. Growing crops and surviving off plant life was almost impossible. The world experienced large variations in rainfall and temperature. The plants could have harvested during the random years of sun and rainfall, yet the barren conditions might have ruined the crops. Today, we experience general warming, increased rainfall, and more stable climatic conditions. During the hunting and gathering, scientist predict that the woman did all the gathering while the men hunted. To this day that is still the view point in life. Woman did the gathering and nurturing while men hunted and domesticated animals. Although today’s day, we as citizen no longer