In the Neolithic Period there were changes.

1. When the glacial period ended around 8000 B.C; there was an increase in the
Earth’s temperature. The flora and fauna changed, and human beings had to adapt
to these new conditions.
2. They learned the agriculture and livestock. At the same time, they discovered that
they could domesticate animals. This was easier than hunting and guaranteed a
steady supply of meat, milk leather and wool.
3. They changed from predators to food producers. As they were able to feed a larger
number of people, the population increased. They lived in sedentary societies.
4. In the Neolithic Period, new tools made from polished stone were created for these
new activities.
5. These changes occurred in several places at once . One of the earliest Neolithic
settlements was in the Fertile Crescent in the Near East. These changes were so
dramatic that it is called the Neolithic Revolution.

Neolithic groups abandoned their nomadic way of life and became sedentary. This means
they settled permanently in villages and small settlements.

Some of the oldest settlements are Jericho, Palestine and Catahoyuk, Turkey.
The houses were made of mud, wood, reeds and straw. The land nearest the rivers is also
the most fertile and therefore producers more abundant harvests.
Villages:
- river banks- more fertile lands
- elevated areas hills- better protection.

Agriculture production and the domestication of animals created new needs. Craftsmanship
developed to meet the needs:
- wicker baskets were made to store grain and food. They also began to make ceramic
pots.
- Spindles and looms were invented to make clothes. First long threads were spun
from flax or wool, on a spindle. Then these threads were woven together on a loom
to make cloth.

There were small social differences

Metal ages
- copper
- bronze
- iron
Metal ages began when metallurgy was discovered in the Near East in around 4000B.C:
although during the Neolithic Period metal objects were already being used.

Metallurgy is the technique that consists of heating metals to high temperatures in order to
shape them into objects. This discovery was probably made when people saw metals fall
into a fire, melt and then harden when they cooled.
Metal Ages is divided into three periods, which are defined by the type of metal used.
The discovery of metallurgy led to important developments in agriculture and trade.
Metals were used to make stronger and more effective agricultural tools, like the iron plough.
When harvest were abundant, surplus products were changed with neighbouring villages.
This type of activity is called trade. Initially, this was done by bartering. This means one
product was exchanged for another without using money.
Trade benefited from some of the inventions that were created at the beginning of the Metal
Ages, such as the potter’s wheel cart, sail boats and maps drawn on clay tablets.

Society in the Bronze and Iron Ages.

Due to the prosperity created by trade, the population of the villages grew and they became
towns.
More resistant materials were commonly used to construct buildings, such as adobe and
stone from the base or plinth.
Some activities were more profitable than others, so social differences were bigger than the
Neolithic Period. The increasing wealth of some towns led to sackings. To guarantee their
safety, villages were built in high places and were protected by palisades and brick or stone
walls.