Farming and the Emergence of Complex Societies

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Big Era Three

• Farming and the Emergenceof Complex Societies
• 10,000 1,000 BCE.

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Join us for the world tour!
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STOP!
I know what youre thinking!
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Farming and complex societies?
Where did they come from?
I thought we were still hunting and gathering!
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and changes have always beenand still arepart
of human history.
Farming and complex societies are the result of
CHANGE
Lets look for a minute at the changes that took
place in Big Era Two.
You DO remember Big Era Two, dont you?
Big Era 1
Big Era 2
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Big Era Two is the era that covers the period
from 200,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Big Era Two was fraught with change.
Shall we do a quick review?
Big Era 1
Big Era 2
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You will probably recall that life 200,000
years ago looked something like this.
Homo erectus doing lunch
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10,000 years ago at the close of Big Era Two,
life looked more like this
Homo sapiens at home
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Notice any changes?
Homo erectus 200,000 years ago
Would you say there were
Homo sapiens 10,000 years ago
(a) No changes?
(b) Some changes?
(c) Lots of changes?
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If you said there were (c) Lots of changes,
you were obviously paying attention during Big
Era Two.
If, on the other hand, you chose (a) No changes
or (b) Some changes, you must have been out
with the flu during Big Era Two. (Hope you are
feeling better!).
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Do you recall any of them?
So, we will go with (c) Lots of changes in Big
Era Two, right?
So, its antelope burgers tonight, right?

Before moving on, jot them down.
Are these going to be on the test?
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Changes that occurred by the end of Big Era
2 (Beginning of Big Era 3)
Check your answers below
1. Homo sapiens appear. 2. Language
develops. 3. Habitats expand. 4. Technology
multiplies. 5. Wall painting and sculpture are
created.
End of Big Era Two (Beginning of Big Era 3)
Big Era 2
Big Era 3
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Keeping those changes in mind, lets look at
life all the way at the end of Big Era Three,
that is, about 1,000 BCE.

Big Eras 4-9
Big Era 2
Big Era 3
1,000 years ago
Today
10,000 years ago
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Big Eras 4-9
Big Era 2
Big Era 3
1,000 years ago
Today
10,000 years ago
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Notice any Differences?
Quite a few, Huh?
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So, how did we get from
HERE?
HERE
to
Jot down some notes on what events you think
might have taken place between 10,000 and 1,000
BCE.
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One of the major changes is reflected in this
frieze on a wall in Mesopotamia (today Iraq)
which reflects the DOMESTICATION of
Big Era 2
Big Era 3
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Domestication of plants and animals was a
monumental change.
Have you herd about pastoralism?
It resulted in the new way of living we know as
FARMING (AGRICULTURE)
which included both PASTORALISM (herding sheep,
goats, cattle, horses, and camels), and
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Crop-growing (cultivating domesticated
plants), and
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the development of FARMING COMMUNITIES
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Eastern North America
China
Fertile Crescent
Nile valley
West Africa
Mesoamerica
New Guinea
Ethiopia
Andes
Amazonia
Between about 12,000 and 1,000 BCE,
farming appeared INDEPENDENTLY in a number of
places, possibly in all of the places marked in
red on the map.
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Prior to farming, population size in any one
area was limited by the availability of wild
game, grain, berries, seeds, and nuts.
POPULATION INTENSIFICATION
Farming and the large, relatively dependable
crops it provides allowed for
That means population increases in certain areas.
Population in those areas became both larger and
denser.
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At the same time, farmers in some places were, in
spite of population growth, able to produce
SURPLUS food.
What does SURPLUS FOOD PRODUCTION mean for a
society?
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SURPLUS FOOD PRODUCTION means that not
everyone has to grow food or tend animals. They
can take on other tasks. They can specialize in
some non-farming task.
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• This is called
• Job Specialization.
• Men and women may become
• Weavers
• Stone Masons
• Potters
• Priests
• Scribes
• Traders
• Army officers

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So, lets have a quick review of that last
sequence of events.
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Domestication of Plants and Animals
Farming
Population Intensification
Surplus Food
Specialization
Complex Society, also known as CIVILIZATION
Big Era 2
Big Era 3
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Civilizations have a number of elements in common.
You might want to make a note of these as we go
along.
Hint, hint!
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Civilization
Can you define it?
Did you catch that term?
Remember it. Write it down.
Answer A civilization is a complex society.
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Elements of civilization include
1) Cities
Mohenjo Daro
Its the law
2) Central governments And Law codes
Hammurabis Law Code
Pharaohs
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Elements of Civilization include
1) Cities
2) Central governments and law codes
3) Writing and record keeping
Can you identify the society represented by
each of these two writing samples?
4) Highly organized religions
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Elements of Civilization include
1) Cities
2) Central Governments and law codes
5) Specialized Jobs
3) Writing and record keeping
4) Highly organized religion
Full-time monk
6) Social Classes
Assyrian slaves In Egypt
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Elements of Civilization include
1) Cities
2) Central governments and law codes
7) Complex Technologies
3) Writing and record keeping
4) Highly organized religion
Chariot
5) Specialized jobs
6) Social classes
Bronze Sword
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So, have you been paying attention or doing a bit
of day dreaming?
Can you list some of the elements of a
civilization?
Lets check!
Clue There were 7!
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Good job if your list includes
Check your answers below

• 1. Cities
• 2. Central governments and law codes
• 3. Writing and record-keeping
• 4. Specialized jobs
• Social classes
• Complex technologies
• Highly organized religions

Good job, huh?
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By 3,000 BCE, societies in Southwest Asia and
Egypt were developing elements of complex
societies.
Are we supposed to be taking notes on this?
Big Era 2
Big Era 3
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By the end of Big Era Three, about 1000 BCE,
there were several well-established civilizations
in Afroeurasia.
There were also two new ones in the Americas.
At least two civilizations in Afroeurasia, the
Minoan in the Mediterranean region and the
Harappan in the Indus River valley had already
come and gone.
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Now, looking back over Big Era Three, lets
review the major changes.
Big Era 2
Big Era 3
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Domestication of Plants and Animals
Farming
Population Intensification
Surplus Food
Specialization
Complex Society, also known as CIVILIZATION
Big Era 2
Big Era 3
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That translates into
Farmers Herders Cities Central governments Armies
Monumental buildings Written language Social
hierarchies Complex belief systems
In 10,000 BCE none of these existed in the world.
By 1,000 BCE they all did.
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Not only has life changed culturally and
technologically, but also the rate of change has
accelerated.
Letters and envelopes
Writing
Irrigation
Pyramids
Wheel
Copper smelting
Temple building
Walled cities
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Dogs, sheep. goats, horses, wheat, rice,
chiles, potatoesall domesticated
Plow farming
Alphabet
Chariots
Pottery
360-degree circle
Sailing technology
Law Codes
Regular trade routes
Bow arrow
Calendars
Big Era 1
BE3
Big Era 2
10k years ago
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You may have noticed that the difference between
the rate of change in Big Era Two and in Big Era
Three is enormous.
Make a few notes and discuss this question with
your teacher and fellow students.
What factors do you think might account for this
increasing rate of change?
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As you move on to Big Era Four (1,200 BCE to 500
AD), keep your eye on the rate of change. Does it
keep increasing? Level off? Slow down?
Do the factors you have identified as affecting
the rate of change in Big Era Two and Big Era
Three still apply?
Come to think of it, things changed REALLY fast
In the 20th century. I wonder what the rate of
change is going to be like in the 21st century?
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Well, thats all for Big Era Three, but dont go
away.
Hang on to your notes and stay tuned for
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Big Era Four!
Coming SOON to a classroom near you.