Inventions in Early Agricultural Societies: c. 10,000 BCE - 3000 BCE

AP Concept: 1.2 The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies
Key Concepts

The advent of agriculture contributed tocultural and technological changes in human society

Inventions in Metal

Thanks to a surplus in food, villages could afford to have specialized workers such as metalworkers

Early metallurgists used copper, but the more it was hammered, the more brittle it became

When copper was heated, it became more malleable

could be shaped into more complex tools, weapons, and jewelry

In Mesopotamia around 3000 BCE, metalworkers discovered an alloy called bronze

At first, used arsenic and copper to make arsenic bronze

Later, mixed copper and tin together to make a metal more durable than copper

Bronze was used to make weapons such as spears, axes, and swords; armor; and tools such as the bronze-tipped plow

Tin was a rare metal

encouraged the development of early long-distance trade networks to increase its availability

The most important development in metallurgy was the discovery of iron around 1200 BCE in the Near East

Iron was much more common than tin

poorer classes coulddevelop iron tools and weapons, and all people did not have to rely on long-distance trade to make weapons

Societies that relied on iron weapons had a distinct advantage in warfare, such as the kingdom of Kush in northern Africa

The use of iron quickly spread from the Near East and the Mediterranean to Anatolia, Asia and finally Europe

Other Trades

Many hunter-gatherer societies developed pottery

Earliest examples are figures found at Dolni Vestonice in modern-day Czech Republic, dating from 29,000 - 25,000 BCE

Later, societies developed pottery as a better alternative to basketry, for use as containers and vessels

The earliest examples are from southern China (16,000 BCE) and Russia (14,000 BCE)

First agrarian societies went further with these inventions

First vessels were made by shaping coils of clay around a circular base, then firing the vessel in a basic kiln

Between 6000 and 4000 BCE the potter's wheel was invented in Mesopotamia

allowed potters to increase their production significantly

Textiles were another important craft that developed in most societies, especially when used for clothing; again, had their roots in hunter-gatherer societies

Earliest examples of use of flax have been found in Republic of Georgia (36,000 years ago)

Earliest examples of weaving have been found at Dolni Vestonice in Czech Republic (along with figurines mentioned above): impressions of basketry and cloth on pieces of clay

Felt was probably the earliest type of woven textile, followed shortly by:

Cotton - Indus Valley Civilization (India), c. 5^th millennium BCE

Linen - ancient Egypt, c. 5500 BCE

Silk - China, between 5000 and 3000 BCE

The Wheel

Sumerians were the first (according to archaeological evidence) to use the wheel, prior to 3200 BCE

Allowed people to transport heavier loads over longer distances

long-distance trade

Wheel spread quickly across Europe, Africa, and Asia to become primary means of travel

Not used in the Americas, where there were no large animals that could be used to pull wheeled carts

Inventions in Early Agricultural Societies: c. 10,000 BCE - 3000 BCE

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