The Agricultural Revolution

• ​To Explain two people learned when glaciers melted

• ​To describe how taming animals helped people in everyday life

• ​To explain why the Agricultural Revolution helped develop trading

• ​To name the three basic human needs that were met because of the Agricultural Revolution.

The Ice Age ended about 10,000 B.C. The glaciers began melting. The land was no longer frozen. People now learned how to grow food. They no longer had to chase wild animals across the lands. Once they learned to raise their own food, they could settle down. That change, from hunting to farming, made civilization possible.

​The people of long ago watched the winds blow seeds across the ground. They noticed that new plants grew where the seeds landed. This is how the people learned to farm. They tried planting seeds themselves. They broke up ground to make it soft. They chose the best seeds, and they grew plants. Next, they made tools to use in farming. They use flint sickles to cut grain and wooden plows to help them dig up the ground.

​Once the glaciers where gone, life became easier for the people. Now they could count on a ready food supply. Often they grew more than they could eat in one winter. They could store food in the future. They would not have to move away from their homes to search for food. People began to form small groups of homes, called settlements, and live there.

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​They also learned to tame animals. Some say the dog was the first animal tamed. Next came cows, goats sheep, and pigs. With their own herds, people had a steady supply of meat, milk,and wool. They now had animals that could live side by side with them. The animals could carry loads and help people work.

​ When people began to farm about 11,000 years ago, their lives changed. The change brought about by agriculture was great. For this reason, the change is often called the Agriculture Revolution. Now people could settle in large groups, in one place. They chose areas with plenty of water and good soil. They built houses out of whatever materials were nearby. Often the houses were built of mud.

​ Now the people could plan on how much food to plant each year. They could decide on how many animals to raise in the herds. Now they had more control of their own lives.

​  Having a large enough food supply and staying in one place gave people spare time. Not everyone in the group was needed to raise food or care for the animals. This allowed people to learn a lot about one job, and they began to specialize. Some people farmed. Others took care of the animals.

​  Now there were also chances to do things they have never done before. People had time to work on their crafts.  Weavers wove grass into fine baskets. Others made pottery from mud and clay and baked it in ovens. with wool from the sheep, some people learned to spin thread and to weave cloth.

​  As different jobs developed, so did trading. Weavers might trade their cloth for food from farmers. A goat might be traded for an ax from the toolmaker. First, trading was carried on within the village. Later, people traded from one village to the next.

​  With the Agricultral Revolution, people's most important needs-- food, shelter, and clothing-- were easier to meet. However, now people owned things. Potters had their jars and bowls. Herders had their animals. Now there were things to protect! New laws were needed. Most likely a group of the oldest, wisest people of the village would meet. They would decide on rules for the rest of the people. 

​  People started to worry when their villages grew rich. Someone might attack them and try to steal some of their riches. Therefore, people formed armies to protect their villages.

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​  As time went one, villages grew into cities. Later cities joined together to form small kingdoms. Agriculture is what made this development possible.