Neolithic

2 Pages 458 Words

In some regions, farming arose through native developments, and in others it spread from other areas. It allowed more permanent settlements, the accumulation of surpluses and wealth, much larger and denser populations, the development of more profound status and rank differences within populations, and the rise of specialized crafts.
Neolithic tool-making shows a great deal of technological advances from the Mesolithic. Neolithic industries often include blade technologies and a wide range of retouched tools, including endscrapers (narrower scrapers for working hides), backed blades, and a wide range of projectile points. Other technological developments in the Neolithic include grinding stones, such as mortars and pestles, for the processing of cereal foods, the widespread use of pottery for surplus food storage and cooking, the construction of granaries for storage of grains, the use of domesticated plant fibers for textiles, and weaving technology.
The domestication of plants and animals led to an astonishing social change during the Neolithic. Some Neolithic graves contain rich stores of goods or exotic materials, revealing differentiations in terms of wealth, rank, or power.
In certain areas, especially parts of the Near East and Western Europe, Neolithic peoples erected massive ceremonial complexes, efforts that would have required extensive, dedicated work forces. Large earthworks and giant stone monuments from the Neolithic suggest more highly organized political structures and more complex social organization than among most hunter-gatherer populations.
In most cases, men hunted for food, while women would gather it. Women may be the reason why the Neolithic cultures began to farm. It is said that women planted the first seed of Neolithic agriculture. Pottery and textile fabrication were tasks often performed by women. Later, women in Neolithic societies became basic housewives, they would cook, clean, birth a...