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§ Neolithic revolution and its consequences What is the neolithic revolution. Neolithic Revolution": causes, essence and consequences

producing economy neolithic revolution(X-III millennium BC).

surplus product.

The oldest craft was pottery.

weaving -

Agriculture

land cultivation.

arable.

Cattle breeding

cattle breeding,

Prestigious Economy

prestigious economy - deepening inequality

Organization of power

male unions, or men's houses

big men. leader.

wealth inequality

AT private property

collective

large families.

community neighborly, or territorial. patriarchal laws.

division of labor

labor specialization

Science and scientific knowledge

writing.

Review questions

neolithic revolution

The period after the Mesolithic is called Neolithic - New Stone Age. Its chronological framework is VIII-IV millennium BC. e.

At this time, the heterogeneity of economic evolution leads to the fact that backward tribes leading a nomadic way of life, engaged in traditional hunting, fishing and gathering and manufacturing coarse and large tools, and tribes of higher hunters, fishermen and gatherers, leading a highly specialized appropriating economy.

At an even higher stage of economic development were the tribes that had passed from an economy of appropriation to a producer. Structure producing economy fundamentally different from the structure of the appropriating economy: the main sectors of the economy were agriculture, cattle breeding and crafts. This transition was called in the historical and economic literature neolithic revolution(X-III millennium BC).

The shifts in human economic activity were extremely significant: for the first time, thanks to the productive economy, it became possible to receive regular, and not episodic, as before, surplus product. The result of the Neolithic revolution was a change in the nature of labor and the very structure of human society, profound changes in the way of life and the psyche of people.

Thus, the emergence of a productive economy was the greatest achievement of the primitive economy and the foundation for the entire subsequent economic history of mankind.

The oldest craft was pottery. It was based on the invention of a potter's forge - a kiln for firing clay products, the temperature in which reached - 1200 ° C, and a potter's wheel - a special device for shaping clay products. The main thing in pottery was the production of pottery, which made it possible to significantly improve the methods of food production and storage conditions. Improvement of food technologies becomes an important factor in economic development.

Another ancient craft was weaving - making fabric on a hand loom. For this, people grew flax, nettles, and other crops, split fibers, twisted them, spun them, made ropes and threads. Threads were used to make thin and coarse fabrics for the production of clothing and household needs, sewed bags, bags.

The technique of stone processing advanced significantly, reaching perfection in the Neolithic period. Along with the former, new, harder rocks of minerals began to be processed.

For their processing, an almost jewelry technique of grinding and polishing was used. At the end of the Neolithic, some tribes, having fully mastered stone technology and knowing all the possibilities of stone, begin to use new materials for the manufacture of tools - metals, primarily copper and bronze. And although the first experiments in the development of metal were very few, difficult and by no means always successful, they subsequently to a large extent predetermined progress in the development of productive forces.

Agriculture

The most important reason for the cardinal changes in the development of mankind during the Neolithic revolution was the beginning land cultivation. It is assumed that agriculture as an independent branch of the economy originated in Western Asia. Farming grew out of gathering: the seeds of wild plants, collected by people and not fully used, could sprout near dwellings.

The methods and techniques of agriculture were, of course, very primitive: the earth was plowed with sticks or hoes, the harvest was made with sickles with silicon blades, and the resulting crop - grains - was ground on a stone slab or in a stone mortar - a grain grater. However, even then, almost all the most important agricultural crops known today were mastered - rye, wheat, oats, spelled, lentils, etc.

Gradually, agricultural technology improved: in the 4th millennium BC. e. in agriculture, such forms as the cultivation of permanent plots and fallow land, the cultivation of non-irrigated (non-irrigated) and even irrigated (irrigated) lands appeared. In a number of regions - in Europe, Western and Central Asia - there has been a transition from manual farming to arable.

Cattle breeding

An important branch of the economy is also becoming cattle breeding, widespread, however, like agriculture, is extremely uneven. Cattle breeding was formed from hunting. An important role in its formation was played by children who, by feeding the young of wild animals and playing with them, tamed them. The first domesticated animals were sheep, goats, cows and pigs.

At the end of the Neolithic, tribes of farmers, pastoralists and those who led a complex agricultural and pastoral economy stand out. Europe was a zone of predominant distribution of agriculture with stall cattle breeding. In the desert and semi-desert regions of Central and Western Asia, nomadic cattle breeding prevailed, East Asia was the center of agriculture.

Prestigious Economy

On the borders of tribes with different economic orientations, and subsequently within the tribe, exchange developed more and more intensively. This economic phenomenon was the most important consequence of the specialization of economic activities and progress in the evolution of the productive forces. Nomadic - shepherd and sedentary - agricultural tribes exchanged their goods - live cattle, meat, skins, grain, fruits. Over time, the exchange became more and more intense and became the basis for the development of commodity circulation.

The most important feature of the development of the economy during this period was the emergence of the so-called prestigious economy - Neolithic variant of gift exchange. As before, gift exchange existed both within and between different communities. A wide variety of items acted as gifts - from livestock to bird feathers that are useless in the household. Regardless of what exactly a person gave, he acquired social prestige. The economic result of the gift exchange was contradictory: on the one hand, it contributed to the development of production, since certain plants were specially grown for gifts, cattle were bred, on the other hand, the gift exchange procedure was accompanied by plentiful feasts, when too much was eaten and drunk in vain. Unproductive spending hindered the development of society. It is characteristic that the desire to give more than to receive in return gradually increased: the donor acquired a certain power over the taker of material values. Thus, the prestige economy contributed to social stratification and played a major role in deepening inequality in society and the formation of institutions of power.

Organization of power

An important element of social organization were or male unions, or men's houses which grew out of the natural separation of men and women. In men's homes, all adult men of the community discussed current affairs, including household ones, made decisions, and elected leaders. Women were not allowed to attend such meetings.

During this period, a special kind of leaders is formed - in modern international historical and economic literature they are usually called big men. These were men who put forward themselves, stood out from the crowd with personal talents, knowledge, wealth and generosity. It was from this layer that the male part of the community chose leader.

It is believed that during this period the headship was not yet inherited. But the prerequisites for the succession of power were developing intensively. The leader was required to know and be able to do more than ordinary members of the community knew and were able to do. It was easier to transfer this knowledge, skills, experience to a son, nephew, brother than to outsiders. A relative of a chief was more likely to "learn" to be a chief than others. The result of these processes formation of privileged strata of society the first nobility that emerged from the tribal elite. These were leaders, priestesses, and also the most successful in economic activities.

By the end of the Neolithic, apparently, the emergence on a mass scale of such a phenomenon as wealth inequality, which was superimposed on the natural inequality that existed in the human collective since ancient times, based on various mental, intellectual, physical abilities of people. The foundations of private property are being laid and deepened as a comprehensive, permanent phenomenon, illuminated by historical tradition.

AT private property there were individual dwellings, household utensils, clothing, jewelry, household equipment, tools, livestock, boats, and other movable property.

Another type of property was collective(tribal or communal) ownership of land. Within the collective, individual people or families are plots of land - they could be cultivated, but they could not be transferred to another person for use.

Population. everyday life

The result of the development of the manufacturing economy was a significant increase in the total population: at the turn of the 5th-4th millennium BC. e. about 80 million people already lived on Earth, and the population density for the inhabited territories was from 10 to 100 people. per 1 km2.

The reasons for such a sharp increase in the number of the Neolithic population were an improvement in the quality of life and a decrease in mortality, an increase in the birth rate and a reduction in the intervals between births. For the first time in the history of mankind, there was a desire to large families. In addition, since that time, a very significant gap in the life expectancy of men and women begins to narrow. The population of the earth has increased, despite the rather frequent epidemics that have become common since the Neolithic period; epidemics were caused by the transition to settled life and crowding of people.

In the Neolithic, the very type of settlements really changes a lot - it is increasingly a permanent village built according to a certain plan in which one community. The inhabitants of the community are no longer only relatives, but also neighbors, and the community itself is turning from a tribal community into neighborly, or territorial. The average size of the community is estimated at several hundred and even thousands of people. Houses in such settlements are often built of brick - baked or raw, as well as clay. Large communal houses have gone completely into the past and now one patriarchal family lives in each house. Are fixed in society patriarchal laws.

There were significant changes in the position of the sexes. The basis for this was the new order division of labor between a man and a woman, due to the specifics of the development of the most important sectors of the manufacturing economy.

At the beginning of the Neolithic, the complication of production activities led to an increase labor specialization based on gender and age. The manufacture of tools was a man's business, caring for children, cooking, delivering water and fuel were women's. Men also took part in farming and cattle breeding - they performed harder work, and women did the most painstaking work that required patience and accuracy.

Over time, the situation changed: the participation of women in agriculture and pastoralism was increasingly limited. At the end of the Neolithic, the sphere of their activity becomes mainly the household, and in it - the service of men and children. All the main means of production are transferred to the disposal, and then to the ownership of men, which led to the economically dependent, unequal position of women.

Science and scientific knowledge

The development of a prestigious economy with its counting of gifts stimulated the accumulation of mathematical knowledge. The first, still primitive counting systems appeared - these were bundles of straw, bundles of shells, ropes with knots tied to them. In primitive Europe, stones were usually used for counting: the words "calculator", "calculation" go back to the ancient Latin word calculus - stone.

Neolithic Revolution - what is it?

At the same time, another event of exceptional importance took place - the first in the history of mankind appeared writing. This became the boundary separating primitive history from the era of civilizations.

Review questions

1. What are the stages in the development of the economy of the primitive economy?

2. Explain the term "Neolithic Revolution".

3. Explain why hunting was the most important economic activity for ancient people.

4. Tell us about the most important scientific and technical inventions of mankind in the primitive era.

CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION. ORIGIN OF STATES

neolithic revolution

The period after the Mesolithic is called Neolithic - New Stone Age. Its chronological framework is VIII-IV millennium BC. e.

Thus, the emergence of a productive economy was the greatest achievement of the primitive economy and the foundation for the entire subsequent economic history of mankind.

The technique of stone processing advanced significantly, reaching perfection in the Neolithic period. Along with the former, new, harder rocks of minerals began to be processed.

Agriculture

Cattle breeding

Prestigious Economy

Organization of power

AT private property there were individual dwellings, household utensils, clothing, jewelry, household equipment, tools, livestock, boats, and other movable property.

Population. everyday life

Science and scientific knowledge

The growth of agriculture and more and more intensive land work contributed to the development of geometric knowledge. The first geographical maps were drawn up. At the very end of the Neolithic, the wheel was invented and the development of wheeled transport began. At the same time, another event of exceptional importance took place - the first in the history of mankind appeared writing. This became the boundary separating primitive history from the era of civilizations.

Review questions

1. What are the stages in the development of the economy of the primitive economy?

2. Explain the term "Neolithic Revolution".

3. Explain why hunting was the most important economic activity for ancient people.

4. Tell us about the most important scientific and technical inventions of mankind in the primitive era.

2.3. Appropriating and producing economy. neolithic revolution

Climate warming on Earth at the end of the Mesolithic (X-IX millennium BC), the high potential of the appropriating economy, created conditions for the dynamic development of man. But the community of gatherers, hunters and fishermen, even in the conditions of the most favorable natural environment, was limited in its numbers and production capabilities. In favorable economic situations (sea coasts, herd animal habitats) there may even have been long-term settlements. However, to increase what nature gives, to achieve a qualitative change in natural resources - this community of gatherers and hunters could not. This explains the slow growth of population in the era of the appropriating economy. Man could live only in areas of natural distribution of the animals and plants he needed. This limited the possibility of resettlement of the person himself, as a result of which the disunity of the collectives was great, there was no regular exchange between them, specialization was impossible, as well as satisfaction of the capabilities and needs of the person. The narrowness of the production base, complete dependence on natural conditions and their vicissitudes, held back the development of society as a whole, in all its manifestations.

I could not withstand the pressure on myself and nature. The reduction in the volume of animal food forced people to look for other places of hunting, to penetrate new territories. So, about 25 thousand years ago, for the first time people penetrated into America and settled from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, having exterminated elephants and camels.

Over time, the intellect of man developed more and more, his independence from nature grew more and more. The use of tools and fire, the use of weapons, human speech - all this created the possibility of independence from nature.

neolithic revolution

Man created the means of attack, and the same objects were used as a tool and as a weapon. Anthropologist J. Taylor wrote: "... the tool equally served both to cut tree branches and members of the human body, and to crush skulls and coconuts." People managed to master extremely productive tools, hunting techniques. Their economy was high-tech for that time. Man felt himself the master of nature, felt his superiority over her, impunity. People became a scourge for the animal world, destroyers of nature. Livestock disappeared, even animal species (cave bears, some breeds of horses). In Yakutia, archaeologists have unearthed a huge number of mammoth bones. Scientists have come to the conclusion that this “cemetery” is the work of people whose parking lots were found nearby. It was determined that people exterminated mammoths more than they needed for food. This indicates that on the eve of the Neolithic revolution, an “orgy” of extermination of animals began, caused by the growth of human needs, his self-perception as the master of nature.

Having created artificial means of attack - axes, darts, spears with tips, the ancient man was under the threat of self-destruction. The hominids now had two paths: to fall victim to a developed intellect, exterminating each other, or to develop means of deterring aggression, self-restraint. Paleontological finds show that most fossil skeletons have fractured skulls. The number of people decreased by 10 times. The rapid retreat of glaciers, and with it large animals - mammoths, reindeer, bison to the north; the invention of the bow and arrow allowed man to consume and destroy large animals, which led to a global ecological crisis at the end of the Mesolithic.

The land could no longer feed hunters and gatherers, but it could feed farmers and pastoralists.

People of the Middle Stone Age devoted more and more time to the collection of those plants that gave more fruit and were more accessible for collection. Among them were the ancestors of modern cereals - wheat, barley, rice. Gradually, people realized that they could not go far to the fields of wild wheat and barley, their grains sprouted in the ground near the settlements. Later it became clear that by slightly loosening the ground, you can sow and harvest your own crops, protecting crops from wild animals and birds. This work was not particularly hard, it could be done by women, old people and even children. For loosening the soil, they also used the same tools that dug edible roots, dug holes. So people gradually became farmers. At the same time, people began to tame wild animals. The first of them was a dog - a hunting assistant and a protector from predators and enemies. The wild ancestors of sheep, pigs, cattle lived in Asia. In America, the only animal that could be tamed was the llama.

The transition to agriculture and cattle breeding played a huge role in the life of mankind. This process was so significant that it is called the "Neolithic Revolution". Changes in nature began to occur even faster and genetically man no longer had time to respond to the call of nature. From the time when a person “violated” the law of natural evolution, left his subordination, found a path of development different from the path of development of other animal organisms, the history of the relationship between two principles begins: society and nature. Many scholars associate the beginning of human civilization with the "Neolithic Revolution". Having begun 8–9 thousand years ago, it took more than one millennium. What is the essence of the "Neolithic revolution"?

First, there was a transition from the appropriating economy to producing type farms based not on the consumption of finished natural products, but on their production using various tools of labor (means of production).

Secondly, the social genotype of modern man arose. During the period of the “Neolithic Revolution”, a person learned to independently extract the main means of subsistence, grow plants and animals, and process the resulting products. This became the greatest boon that opened the way for nascent humanity to survival and progress.

Fundamental changes in the life of society came with the transition to a productive economy. G.-V. Child, an English archaeologist, defined it as "the first revolution that transformed the human economy, gave man control over his own food supply." Man began to produce food, gradually improving this production, expanding its scope.

The rate of population growth has changed dramatically. The American biologist E. Devey tried to tentatively determine the size and population density of the ecumene (the populated part of the globe) before the transition to productive forms of economy and during the “Neolithic Revolution”. According to his data, over one millennium of the “Neolithic Revolution”, the population of the ecumene increased by more than 16 times, exceeding 80 million people, and the density in its most ancient centers increased by 2.5 times and reached 1 person per 1 km2.

No less significant are other phenomena: the artificial spread of cultivated plants and domesticated animals, the expansion of the boundaries of the ecumene, the emergence of new areas in human activity. Connections are being established between individual collectives, natural phenomena, the cycles of plant life, their growth, maturation are known. The very distribution of the time of our distant ancestors became different: the development of a producing economy no longer required the constant participation of the majority of able-bodied members of human collectives in the production of food. A significant fund of time was freed up for the development of other branches of production and culture.

At the same time, the “Neolithic Revolution” caused a noticeable unevenness in the further development of the ecumene regions. After all, the transition to a productive economy was possible only where there was a natural background necessary for this process, i.e. in the centers of distribution of wild ancestors of cultivated plants and domestic animals. The definition of these centers and the identification of their role in the history of mankind is largely associated with the research of N.I. Vavilov. The great biologist identified a number of centers of origin of cultivated plants, which were at the same time the centers of the emergence of agricultural crops. He identified seven such centers: five from the Balkans to Southeast Asia and two in southern Mexico and Peru. “In essence, only a narrow strip of land on the globe played a major role in the development of agriculture,” wrote N.I. Vavilov. It is in these centers (Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, South Turkey, Mesopotamia, Persia, Central Asia) that the most important agricultural crop - wheat - appears and a number of basic animal species are domesticated. The oldest centers of the productive economy were formed here, and later the first civilizations of the Old World. Archaeologists gave this territory the romantic name of the “crescent of fertile lands”.

New ways of farming spread rapidly. In the VIII - VII millennia BC. this happened in Western Persia, Northern Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Palestine, in the 7th-6th millennium BC. - in Hindustan, Southeast Asia, Japan, China and Central Asia. At this time, corn and legumes began to be grown in Central America. In the V millennium BC. the productive economy spreads in Egypt and then penetrates into Europe. Gradually, it spreads to the north, which was associated with considerable difficulties, since heat-loving plants found it difficult to take root in the new conditions.

Type of work: Test

Subject: Neolithic Revolution: Causes and Significance

Discipline: History of the economy

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Placement date: 15.10.15 at 01:26

INTRODUCTION 3

1. Causes of the Neolithic Revolution. 4

2. Consequences of the Neolithic revolution. eight

CONCLUSION. eleven

LIST OF USED LITERATURE .. 12

INTRODUCTION

neolithic revolution- this is the most important event in the entire history of mankind, which became the first noticeable step in the scale of world history for primitive man to become civilized.

For many millennia, primitive society existed, practically unchanged. Its development proceeded at such a slow pace that it was almost imperceptible. Significant changes in various spheres of society began only in recent centuries, before that, the way of life of people did not change for tens of thousands of years.

The significance of the changes that have taken place in the life of primitive man is enormous. During the transition to a productive economy, processes were launched that eventually led to an almost universal change from primitive relations to civilized ones. A number of fundamentally new phenomena have appeared in human life.

Neolithic Revolution: Causes and Significance

neolithic revolution marked the retreat of primitiveness, although this process was uneven.

The main reason for such close attention to this topic is the great importance of the Neolithic revolution in the history of mankind. It led to sedentary life, a significant increase in labor productivity with the receipt of a regular surplus product and, as a result, an increase in the size and density of the population, social division of labor, the development of social differentiation of society, new ideas and views. All this was the prerequisite for the emergence of such signs of civilization as cities, states, writing.

The purpose of the work: to characterize the Neolithic revolution.

The structure of the work: introduction, main part, conclusion, list of references.

1. Causes of the Neolithic Revolution

neolithic revolution this is a global revolution, a qualitative leap, thanks to which civilization made the transition from an appropriating economy (hunting and gathering) to a productive economy (agriculture and cattle breeding), gave rise to classes, a city, a state, a culture.

The term " neolithic revolution” was introduced in 1949 by the English archaeologist Gordon Child, who was close in his conceptual preferences to Marxism and proposed the term by analogy with the Marxist concept of “industrial revolution”. This revolution, according to Child, "transformed the human economy, gave man control over his own food supply", thus creating the conditions for the emergence of civilization. Since the concept of "industrial revolution" by the middle of the 20th century. has become generally accepted, the term " neolithic revolution' quickly gained popularity. Other variants of the names of this historical event (for example, "revolution in food production", "agricultural revolution") did not receive the support of specialists.

Currently neolithic revolution is considered one of the three major revolutionary changes in the economy - along with the industrial and scientific and technological revolutions.

The Neolithic Revolution was the final stage in the development of simple societies and the prologue to a complex society. Complex societies include those where there is a surplus product, commodity-money relations, social inequality and social stratification (slavery, castes, estates, classes), a specialized and widely branched management apparatus.

The social consequence of the Neolithic revolution was the emergence of an agrarian society. The specialization of the tribes, both in cattle breeding and in agriculture, caused an increase in products that could easily be exchanged for other goods. The surplus product characteristic of the stage of leaders has changed into a surplus product, which, unlike the first, can be used not only for sale, but also for the exploitation of wage labor. In fact, the surplus product did not much exceed the vital product and was more of a food stock. At this level, a person has to endure a miserable existence and devote the whole working day to getting food. No wonder sociologists say that a traditional, primarily primitive society, is one in which people do not have leisure.

Therefore, a complex society is an era of surplus product. It appeared for the first time in the history of mankind during the Neolithic revolution. With agriculture, one family is able to provide for itself in 1-2 months, and the rest of the working time is spent on the production of a surplus product, a significant part of which is alienated in favor of the state and the ruling class. The role of agriculture, both positive and negative, in the history of human society is very high. Even today, agriculture remains a factor in the global order. Here are just a few facts:

- no animal has ever been engaged in agriculture or farming;

- it was agriculture that led to the emergence of human civilization, writing, classes, cities, etc.;

- almost the entire population of the planet, with a few exceptions, exists today, thanks to the products obtained from agriculture;

- almost all the land suitable for arable land is now given over to agriculture;

- having arisen 10 thousand years ago, agriculture outlived all other economic structures and types of economy, without losing its relevance.

Agriculture is one of the basic and most important elements of civilization as such. This, in fact, is an axiom of the modern view of human history. It is with the development of agriculture and the transition to the sedentary lifestyle that accompanies it that the formation of what we understand by the terms "society" and "civilization" is connected. Where there was no transition to agriculture, there was no civilization.

If we line up all the inventions and discoveries of mankind growing on a scale, taking as a criterion the positive effect and benefit to society that they brought, then in the first place will not be astronautics, genetic engineering and nuclear energy, and not even the invention of the wheel or the development of fire , namely agriculture and the process of domestication, which is inextricably linked with it - the domestication of animals and the domestication of plants. But the negative effect of agriculture is considerable. The domestication of animals has changed the gene pool of the animal world, diseases have appeared that the world of wildlife does not know.

The efficiency of labor in agriculture has increased, but the quality of life of people has deteriorated. To feed themselves and their families, hunter-gatherers had to work far fewer hours a day than their more civilized, plow- and draft-powered descendants. Primitive man not only worked less, he looked better, was healthier, eating natural food, moving more, being able to survive in any unsuitable conditions. The farmer produced products dozens of times more than the collector or gardener.

The reasons that forced a society of hunters and gatherers, who lived quite well, to switch to agriculture, as a result of which it became much more difficult for them to live, are not clear. What made people invent more advanced tools, tame animals, cultivate plants, stop vagrancy and start building permanent settlements?

There are many opinions here, they call the overpopulation of the Earth, and a sharp change in climate, potential curiosity and ingenious insight, narrowing of the resource base through the transformation of the steppes into deserts, the transition to private ownership of land, natural selection, a change in the genetic code, a new system of adaptation to the environment and much more. None of them has yet found confirmation of the facts, although there are more and more opinions that the cause was still ecology, because everything was approaching an ecological catastrophe.

But it still looks incomprehensible that about 10 thousand years ago, groups of people appeared in different parts of the planet who suddenly abandoned the previous way of managing, gathering, which had been practiced for tens of thousands of years, and began to slowly move on to a new way of life. They tamed wild animals for the sake of obtaining milk and meat, domesticated wild plants and vegetables for the sake of baking bread and obtaining additional carbon for the body, allocated plots of land and used previously unpublished tools on them.

And today, 2/3 of the protein and calories needed by people are provided by the cereals cultivated by them then. In the world diet, their share at present is as follows: wheat - 29%, corn and maize - 27%, rice - 25%, barley - 10%, other cereals - 10%.

Due to the development of agriculture, the human diet has changed dramatically. Next to wheat, milk began to take an important place in the diet. Unlike the omnivorous nature of primitive people, the diet of farmers can be called selective. It was based on what the man himself had grown, and not on what he found ready-made in nature. The farmer could select the necessary combination of edible and taste elements in plants, influencing such plant properties as yield, tillering and frost resistance. At the same time, the selectivity of the diet meant its specialization and narrowing of the assortment.

For the first few thousand years, while mankind experimented in the field of crop production and selection, its diet was very poor: a person could no longer distinguish between wild plants, and the new economic structure did not yet provide the necessary diversity in the diet.

2. Consequences of the Neolithic Revolution

« neolithic revolution” entailed a change in the person’s diet, which is unlikely to benefit him. Even now, the diversity of our diet is less than that of primitive people. In many places for a long time the monotony of food was simply amazing. In ancient Sumer, in particular, the basis of nutrition was barley and a little vegetable oil. There were very few vegetables and fruits, and a simple Sumerian could eat meat only at temple holidays.

Terence McKenna in his book "Food of the Gods" expressed the opinion that in the diet of ancient people there were some foods (mushrooms, etc.) that had narcotic properties that contributed to the development of human thinking. Indeed, ancient people in one form or another used narcotic substances, especially during various religious ceremonies, which to a certain extent confirms the connection of these things with subtle spheres.

The advent of agriculture limited these things. But, in our opinion, such a phenomenon cannot be assessed unambiguously negatively, because the emergence of writing and science contributed to the development of the left hemisphere of the human brain. The thinking of the ancient man, most likely, was the dominant right hemisphere, intuitive. Left-brain thinking is rationalistic, which is very necessary. Civilization without this is impossible, which proves its long absence in people with dominant right-brain thinking. It's just that sensory cannot be suppressed, as it is now, but in general, both forms of human thinking are certainly necessary.

During the transition to agriculture, caries first appeared in people, which was unknown to hunters and gatherers who chewed hard stems of plants, as well as root crops, tubers and bulbs. Scientists say that human ancestors ate mixed food for a long time. They also used food heated on fire, water heated with the addition of herbs. Grains and dairy products in food are practically absent.

According to other sources, the man of the Late Paleolithic era consumed a lot of animal protein, which could contribute to rapid physical development and puberty, but not longevity. Man survived by eating berries, fruits and edible roots.

So, in the course of human development and its nutrition changed many times, and ancient people gradually got used to new food, which to one degree or another included meat and fish products. The diet of a modern person was formed somewhere 250 - 300 years ago. According to some scientists, the best diet is the one that the primitive man had. It has been experimentally proven that people who ate only two weeks of "original food" - roots, seeds, nuts, berries and other gifts of nature, had a 30% decrease in blood cholesterol levels.

However, the reason for such a qualitative leap in human society remains obscure anyway. In our opinion, here we should pay closer attention to the fact that agriculture made it possible to organize the mass exploitation of the people of the planet. Who exactly needed this, and so much so that even for the sake of this, the entire course of the development of human civilization was changed and directed precisely on the path along which it is still going.

CONCLUSION

So, neolithic revolution- the revolutionary upheaval in production that took place in late primitive society, associated with the transition from an appropriating to a producing economy and created the prerequisites for the formation of an early class society.

Those changes that took place were simply amazing and dramatic, they influenced the further course of history. As a result of evolutionary development, in order to satisfy his needs, man gradually moved from appropriating forms of management to genuine labor activity aimed at transforming nature and producing tools. The transition to a producing economy led to a division of social labor: the separation of cattle breeding from agriculture, the separation of handicrafts, and the isolation of a layer of people employed in the sphere of exchange - trade. The time has come for specialization, increasing labor productivity. This contributed to the emergence of economic opportunities for the exchange of goods and the emergence of private property.

This transition changed the entire material basis of the life of primitive society, its social and spiritual organization, and is very important in the history of mankind.

The achievements of the "Neolithic Revolution" lead primitive society to the social stratification of society, the emergence of classes, bring humanity close to the emergence of civilization, and become a logical prerequisite for the emergence of the state. Thus, states, as a new form of organizing the life of society, arise objectively due to certain factors: material, organizational, ideological. with it and science.

LIST OF USED LITERATURE

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Zagladin, N.V., History of Russia and the world from ancient times to the end of the 19th century / N.V. Zagladin, N.A. Simoniya.-M.: Russian Word, 2010. - 400 p.
Bashilov, V.A. The pace of the historical process in the most important centers of the "Neolithic revolution". - In the book: The historical fate of the American Indians. Problems of Indian studies / V.A. Bashilov. - M., 2012. - 140 p.
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The result of the "Neolithic Revolution" was the emergence in some regions of the globe of early agricultural societies (for example, in the Middle East around the 7th millennium BC). At the next stage of socio-economic development (approximately by the 4th-3rd millennium BC), early agricultural societies flourished. On their basis, the first civilizations arise - the formation of early class societies takes place. They arose, as a rule, in the valleys of large rivers: the Tigris and Euphrates, the Nile, the Indus, the Yangtze and other climatic and landscape conditions most favorable for agriculture, and amounted to the III-II millennium BC. a real belt of primary civilizations, stretching from the Mediterranean to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The stages of formation and development of early agricultural societies, in terms of their socio-economic significance and characteristics, occupy a special and independent place in the general process of human development.

An important content of the Neolithic revolution is the emergence of property rights, securing the exclusive rights of an individual, family, clan or tribe to land. The transition to a productive economy ensured the growth of mankind ("demographic explosion"), necessary for the existence and flourishing of civilization. There is evidence that during the Neolithic the world's population increased from 5 to 50 million people. (by 3 thousand years BC). (eleven)

The separation of handicraft from agriculture also had very important consequences for the formation of civilization. First of all, the separation of the craft was closely connected with other social processes and was associated with the separation of physical labor from mental labor. In addition, it was the most important condition for the formation of the city, the separation of the city from the countryside. The most ancient city arose not just as a settlement of artisans at the crossroads of trade routes, but as the focus of all forms of human activity that existed in that era, as a place of concentration of advanced forms of activity and communication that require abstract and dynamic consciousness.

At the beginning of the Neolithic, the increasing complexity of industrial activities led to an increase in the specialization of labor based on sex and age. The manufacture of tools was a man's business, caring for children, cooking, delivering water and fuel were women's. Men also took part in farming and cattle breeding - they performed harder work, and women did the most painstaking work that required patience and accuracy.

The Neolithic revolution also had negative consequences. Already at the end of the Upper Paleolithic, anthropogenic pressure on nature increased significantly. Batteries for large animals led to the extermination of many species of animals (cave bear, cave lion, mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, etc.) and a significant reduction in others (bison, wild horse, etc.) and, in the end, to the first environmental and economic crisis in history. The ecological crisis was caused by the fact that a sharp increase in the number of domestic animals, agricultural land occurred due to the burning of forests, the reduction of their areas, and this, in turn, led to a decrease in the level of rivers, groundwater, and desertification of vast territories. Mankind got out of this crisis thanks to the movement to the north and the development of new territories freed up after the melting of glaciers, as well as the development of irrigated agriculture in the river valleys.

Before the era of agriculture, people had more varied food through hunting and gathering. Agriculture, especially before the use of draft animals, involved heavy mechanical labor. Cooking was also difficult because the grains had to be pounded by hand. And the end result for most people was a monotonous diet low in protein and vitamins. However, the total amount of such food turned out to be much more abundant than the same territory of hunting grounds could give, which made it possible to significantly increase the concentration of the population in one tribe, to make its life more independent of natural conditions and more protected from the aggression of neighbors.

Thanks to the cultivation of the land, the Neolithic people managed for the first time in history to adapt the natural habitat to their own needs. Obtaining surplus food, the emergence of new types of tools and the construction of settled settlements made a person relatively independent of the surrounding nature. The increased concentration of the population changed the structure of the tribe from a tribal community to a neighboring one. During the period of the Neolithic Revolution, which lasted about seven thousand years, the material and spiritual foundations of the cultures of Mesopotamia and other regions of Western Asia, Egypt, China, Japan and ancient America were laid. A radical change in the material, artistic and religious aspects of people's lives occurred after the appearance of writing in Mesopotamia and Egypt by the 3rd millennium BC. e.

The producing economy objectively led to the organization of production, the emergence of new managerial and organizational functions, the emergence of a new type of labor activity associated with food production. There was a need to standardize and take into account the labor contribution of each member of society, the results of his work, his participation in the creation of social forms, and the issuance to him from public funds. This led to a further division of labor.

Thus, the "Neolithic revolution" objectively brings primitive society, by virtue of its internal development, to the final frontier - the social stratification of society, the emergence of classes, the birth of the state.

Neolithic is the new stone age. Its chronological framework is the 7th-4th millennium BC. neolithic revolution- the transition of human communities from the primitive economy of hunters and gatherers to agriculture based on agriculture and animal husbandry is interpreted by scientists as a transition from an appropriating to a producing economy. Scientists have not come to a consensus on the reasons for the transition to a productive economy. Causes: 1. Depletion of stocks of game and useful plants with the improvement of hunting methods and population growth. 2. Raising the technical level of tools and the development of knowledge. 3. Presence of favorable natural conditions conducive to the development of agriculture and animal husbandry. Essence consisted in the fact that in order to satisfy their needs, a person moved from instrumental activity associated with the appropriation of ready-made animal and plant forms, moved to a truly labor activity aimed at transforming nature and food production: creating new plant and animal forms and replacing them with natural, natural forms.Among major implications Neolithic revolution - not only a further increase in the number and density of the population, but the accumulation and development of cultural traditions (due to the presence of a large amount of free time for artistic creativity), the formation of a new way of life, the emergence of the opportunity to support people who are not directly involved in the production process. Thus, the "Neolithic Revolution" is a cardinal milestone in the history of mankind, which brought to the forefront of history in 9-3 thousand BC. societies of farmers-pastoralists (early agricultural societies or cultures), which, in turn, were the initial layer of civilization. Social and natural factors manifested themselves in different ways in different parts of the globe. Hence the significant difference in the nature of the early agricultural cultures and in the cultural complexes they created.

5. The crisis of the primitive communal model of economic development: causes, essence and consequences. The decomposition of primitive society began around the 4th millennium BC. e. The invention and development of fundamentally new materials (bronze), technologies (systems of irrigated and plow farming), increased inequality in property, the emergence of private property inevitably led to the emergence of classes and the state. The improvement of the instruments of labor, the increase in their productivity, the formation of a surplus product on this basis had profound socio-economic consequences. The economic structure of the primitive society became cramped for a new technical base, hindered its development. The emergence of private property, the spread of exchange and the emergence on this basis of property and social inequalities contributed to the formation of a new type of society, the emergence of the state. Among the factors contributing to the division, in addition to the Neolithic revolution, an important role was played by the intensification of agriculture, the development of specialized cattle breeding, the emergence of metallurgy, the formation of a specialized craft, and the development of trade. The growth of labor productivity, increased exchange, constant wars - all this led to the emergence of property stratification among the tribes. Property inequality gave rise to social inequality. The top of the tribal aristocracy was formed, in fact, in charge of all affairs. Noble community members sat in the tribal council, were in charge of the cult of the gods, singled out military leaders and priests from their midst. So, the signs of the collapse of the tribal system were the emergence of property inequality, the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the leaders of the tribes, the increase in armed clashes, the conversion of prisoners into slaves, the transformation of the kind of consanguineous collective into a territorial community. The destruction of primitive society in different regions of the world occurred at different times. The models of further economic development were also varied. At the end of the IV millennium BC. e. in Mesopotamia, and then in Egypt, the first states arose.

6. "Eastern" model of economic development: main features and characteristics."Asian mode of production" - a term introduced by K. Marx, characterizes the essence of the socio-economic development of Eastern (non-European) societies. The Asian mode of production was the basis of the first class socio-economic formation that arose for the first time in the East at the end of the 4th millennium BC. e. and existed there until the end of the second millennium AD. e. The Eastern (Asian) model of economic development is characterized by the following traits: 1. Slaves did not constitute the main productive force of society, i.e., people who were considered free were engaged in the production of material goods in agriculture and crafts. 2. The land was not in private, but in state or state-communal ownership. 3. Between the state and the community-farmers, relations of servitude have developed - the absence of rights with the unconditional performance of duties in favor of the state. 4. The state in the East took the form of "oriental despotism", that is, the complete lack of rights of subjects in the face of the state. That is why this type of society is called the "society of Eastern slavery." 5. The communities were resilient, which was due to the need to create and maintain an irrigation system for agriculture. 6. The economy was conservative, which led society to stagnation. Peculiarities: In the Ancient East, before the rest of the world, a rather high material culture began to flourish (favorable climatic conditions), it was possible to obtain a significant surplus product with a low level of agricultural technology and the expenditure of small human resources. As a result, people have free time and the opportunity to devote themselves not only to obtaining food. There is a division of society into classes. The state in Eastern society owns everything, effective centralized control over society is exercised. Involvement in power gives privileges. The Asiatic mode of production is built, in contrast to the slave-owning one, on the exploitation not of slaves, but of community members. The number of slaves is very small, they are used not in large-scale commodity production, but as servants. There are also few artisans and merchants, and besides, trade is less developed compared to the slave system. Under the Asiatic mode of production, two most important classes can be distinguished: the peasantry and the bureaucracy. The peasantry is formally free, but the impossibility of selling land and certain duties in favor of the state resemble feudal dependence. The vast majority of inhabitants of the states of the Ancient East were employed in the structure of agriculture. But land without water was of no value. Irrigation systems were the property of the state. Work on the creation of such systems required large human resources. Communal labor service soon turned into a state one. Thus, the state subjugated the communal farmers, and they practically ceased to be free. They were used in the creation of complex irrigation systems, in the construction of temples and other cyclopean structures. Unlike slaves, this was a gratuitous labor force that did not have to be fed and clothed. Their labor could be used very wastefully. Economically, these countries almost did not develop. This is called eastern stagnation. The main reason for stagnation was that the interests of the individual were subordinated to the public. The interests of the community, caste, state. Any entrepreneurial initiative was suppressed, which is impossible without the free disposal of property.

LECTURE #3§ 2. Neolithic revolution and its consequences.

What is the Neolithic Revolution . For millions of years people have lived by hunting, fishing and gathering. A person "appropriated" the gifts of nature, therefore this type of economy is called appropriating . People depended entirely on nature, external conditions, climate change, the abundance or scarcity of prey, random luck. About 11-10 thousand years ago, the relationship between man and nature became radically different. Agriculture and animal husbandry are being developed. People began to independently produce the products necessary for life. The dependence on the environment has been greatly reduced. This type of economy is called producing .

The productive economy still remains the basis of the existence of mankind.

The transition to a productive economy among a number of tribes and peoples began in the Mesolithic period and ended in the Neolithic.

The emergence of a productive economy has radically changed the life of mankind, the relationships within communities of people, the order of management in them.

Historians have called these changes neolithic revolution .

Causes of the Neolithic Revolution. About 12 thousand years ago, the last major glaciation of the Earth ended. For a relatively short period of time, the tundra and part of the territory where the eternal ice lay were covered with forests. It seemed that such changes would make life easier for people, however, during the melting of ice, mammoths and many other large animals died out, on which primitive people were accustomed to and knew how to hunt and which gave them food, skins, bones for making various items. I had to master hunting for small game, birds, and pay more attention to catching fish. Now tribal communities in search of prey were often forced to move to new territories.

During this period, a bow with arrows, various traps, and traps were invented. Another invention was the boomerang, which had the property of returning back in case of an unsuccessful (not hitting the prey) throw. People built boats and rafts, on which they sailed not only along rivers and lakes, but also went out to sea.

The melting of the glacier had the most severe consequences for the communities of Western Asia (the territory of modern Turkey, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Iran and some other countries). During the Paleolithic period, wild sheep, wild boars, goats, bulls were hunted here, and cereals were collected - wheat, barley, millet. In the wild, these plants grow only in the mountainous regions of Asia Minor.

To cut the ears of cereal crops, people invented a special tool - sickle. A groove was hollowed out along the inner surface of a curved wooden stick or bone, sharply ground pebbles 1–2 cm in size were inserted close to each other ( microliths) and fixed everything with resin or concrete. If one of the microliths broke or fell out, it could easily be replaced by another, since they were made the same, in the form of trapezoids or triangles. Later, microliths began to be used for the manufacture of compound knives, swords, axes, and spears.

After the end of the glaciation in Western Asia, a terrible drought began, which led to the death of many animals and plants. The ecological crisis forced people to look for new sources of livelihood. The way out was found in the artificial breeding of plants and the domestication (domestication) of animals.

The origin of the manufacturing economy . Collectors of cereals noticed: if the grain is buried in loose earth and watered with water, then an ear with many grains grows out of it. That's how it was born agriculture . Only the best grains were selected for sowing every year. Over time, the appearance and many useful properties of wheat, millet, barley and other cereals have changed.

Because of the drought, wild sheep, goats, cows, and pigs began to enter human settlements in search of water. They were often caught alive by members of the community, kept in pens and eaten as needed. Some animals were born already in captivity. Over time, such animals began to be fed, grazed, and the calmest and largest were selected for breeding. Gradually, domestic animals began to differ from wild ones in habits, character, and even anatomical structure. Happened animal domestication. Appeared animal husbandry (cattle breeding).

The first were domesticated in the X - IX millennia BC. sheep and goats, in the 7th millennium BC. domesticated a pig and a cow. In ancient times, there was also a domestication of a cat, which saved grain reserves from rodents. (The dog was domesticated by Paleolithic hunters).

Of the plants, wheat, barley, millet, and lentils were the first to be grown. Later they learned to breed fruit-bearing trees - plums, pears, peaches, apricots, apples, grapes, etc.

The oldest site with traces of agriculture, discovered in northern Iraq, dates back to the 10th - 9th millennium BC.

When the climate became more humid, agriculture spread throughout almost all of Asia Minor and some neighboring territories (Egypt, southern Europe, Central Asia, etc.). New species of cultivated plants and animals were bred on new lands. So, in Central Asia, the camel was domesticated.

In a number of places, agriculture arose independently, without connection with Western Asia. Of course, America belongs to such places, where they began to grow corn and tomatoes. Rice was "domesticated" in India and China. It is possible that cattle were independently domesticated in Europe. However, the "ancestors" of most domestic animals (sheep, goats, cows) and plants (wheat, barley, millet) are wild animals and plants that were found only in Western Asia.

Cereal crops and domestic animals, obtained by the ancient inhabitants of Western Asia, still remain the main sources of food for mankind.

Consequences of the Neolithic Revolution . Following the advent of agriculture, many more discoveries were made. People learned to produce woolen and linen fabrics. The most important invention was ceramics(the first baked clay products date back to the 8th millennium BC). Appeared Potter's wheel. Bricks used in construction were also made from clay.

To irrigate the fields, they began to build canals and pools, gradually irrigation (irrigation) facilities became more and more difficult. The fields began to be cultivated not only with a hoe, but also plow and plow m. Over time, bulls began to be used for plowing.

At the settlement of farmers and pastoralists at the turn of the VIII - VII millennium BC. Chayonyu-Tepesi in Asia Minor found the oldest products from native copper. From the V - IV millennia BC. period in the Middle East Eneolithic - Copper Stone Age (transitional from the Stone to the Bronze Age). On the territory of Europe, the beginning of the Eneolithic dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. Bronze Age began in the Middle East at the end of the 4th - 3rd millennium BC, and in Europe in the 2nd millennium BC. iron products ( iron age ) began to be made from the end of the 2nd millennium BC. e. in Western Asia and in the 1st millennium BC. in Europe. After mastering the mass production of products from iron ore, stone tools finally disappeared.

Neolithic revolution on the territory of modern Russia . In the steppes of the Southern Urals and the Volga region, archaeologists have found the bones of domestic animals (cows, goats, sheep), which began to breed 8 - 7 thousand years ago. These are the oldest traces of a manufacturing economy on the territory of Russia. Domestic animals were brought here by settlers from the southern lands.

The people who once lived in the Southern Urals also contributed to the Neolithic revolution. It is here that the world's oldest bones of domesticated horses were found.

The appearance of domesticated horses dramatically accelerated the course of history. Horses facilitated communication between different peoples, which contributed to their mutual development. It is no coincidence that in regions where it was not possible to tame a horse, development was slow (America, Australia).

social division of labor. The origin of crafts and trade . The economy in the first communities of farmers and pastoralists was of a complex nature. The cultivation of cereals, fruit and livestock complemented each other. However, differences in natural conditions very soon led to the emergence specializations .

On fertile lands, agriculture and related animal husbandry become the main occupation. The farmers led a sedentary lifestyle. The tribes that found themselves in the steppe regions completely switched to cattle breeding, which, after the domestication of the horse and the development of the wheel, acquired nomadic character .

The so-calledfirst major social division of labor - separation of agriculture and cattle breeding into separate economic complexes.

In the settlements of farmers, people began to appear who specialized in the production of various products from stone, metals or clay, in the manufacture of fabrics, etc. ( artisans). Over time, many began to live solely at the expense of the craft.

Happened second major social division of labor - Separation of handicrafts from agriculture and cattle breeding.

The social division of labor contributed to the development exchange . Craftsmen supplied farmers and pastoralists with their products, receiving food from them. Farmers and pastoralists also exchanged their products. So was born trade .

The beginning of the formation of peoples. With the development of the manufacturing economy, the differences in the rates of development of different regions of the world increased. Where there were favorable conditions for agriculture, the formation of crafts, development went faster.

Natural and climatic conditions influenced the formation of peoples who spoke different languages.

Scientists suggest that once the ancestors of speakers of related languages represented a single community and lived in the same place. Then separate groups separated, mixed with other tribes, and differences appeared and intensified in languages.

In the scientific world, the dispute has not subsided until now, which peoples lived on the territory of Western Asia during the period of the formation of the producing economy. Undoubtedly, both there and in North Africa in ancient times lived tribes that gave rise to Semitic-Hamitic languages. Many ancient peoples spoke these languages: Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians.

There is a point of view that in some regions of Western Asia lived tribes that laid the foundation for peoples speaking Indo-European languages. Nowadays, a significant part of the world's population uses Indo-European languages. In particular, Russian belongs to the East Slavic group of Indo-European languages.

The question of the time and place of the appearance of the Indo-Europeans has also been the subject of controversy for more than two hundred years, since the relationship of the languages \u200b\u200bdistributed over vast expanses from India to Western Europe (hence their name) was established. Most scientists believe that the Indo-European community began to take shape in the 4th - 3rd millennium BC, but there are opinions about an earlier period (6th - 5th millennium BC).

It was previously believed that the ancestral home of the Indo-European peoples was Southern Scandinavia and Northern Germany. At present, this point of view has no supporters among scientists. The most common is the theory of the Balkan-Danubian ancestral home of the Indo-Europeans. The version about the southern Russian ancestral home is also popular (Eastern Ukraine, the North Caucasus, the Volga region, the Southern Cis-Urals). Finally, an opinion is expressed about the Eastern Anatolian ancestral home (the north of Western Asia).

The main occupation of the Indo-European tribes for a long time was cattle breeding. However, mastering the secret of making bronze weapons made the Indo-Europeans very warlike. Separate groups moved in different directions, trying to capture the best lands. Mixing with other tribes and passing on their languages to them, the Indo-Europeans settled almost all of Europe, Central Asia, Iran, India and other lands.

The evolution of social relations. neighborhood community . The Mesolithic and Neolithic period was a time of change in communities.

Among the farmers, as the tools of labor improved and the use of draft animals, the individual family became an increasingly independent production unit. There was no need to work together. This process was strengthened by the introduction of bronze and especially iron tools. The tribal community gave way neighborhood community .

Housing, tools, work animals in the neighboring community became the property of individual families. However, arable and other land continued to be in communal ownership. As a rule, members of the same family worked on the arable land, but the clearing of fields and their irrigation were carried out jointly by all members of the neighboring community.

Cattle breeders retained tribal relations longer than farmers. The herds remained the common property of the clan for a long time.

Over time, equality within the community was becoming a thing of the past. Some families became more affluent than others and accumulated wealth.

At the origins of statehood. The assembly, in which all adult members took part, remained the highest governing body in communities and tribes. Elected by the assembly for the period of hostilities leader depended on the support of fellow tribesmen. The elders made up the council of the community, the tribe. All relations within society were regulated by customs, traditions ( customary law ). The organization of power in primitive communities and tribes can be called self-government.

As material inequality developed, so did inequality in the sphere of governance. Wealthier members of the community began to exert increasing influence on governance. In the national assembly, the word of such people becomes decisive. The power of the leader was now preserved in times of peace and gradually began to pass by inheritance. In conditions of increasing inequality, many customs and traditions ceased to effectively regulate life. The leaders had to resolve disputes between fellow tribesmen, punish them for misdeeds that could not have happened before. For example, after the appearance of property in individual families, theft arose, which was not known before, since everything was common.

The development of inequality was facilitated by an increase in the number of clashes between tribes. During the Paleolithic period, tribal wars were quite rare, but since the beginning of the Neolithic revolution they have been fought almost constantly. Individual communities and tribes in the conditions of a productive economy could accumulate significant food supplies, which other tribes sought to appropriate.

For successful defense and attacks, the tribes united in tribal alliances led by a military leader. The best warriors rallied around the leaders.

In many ancient societies, chiefs also acquired and priestly functions: only they could communicate with the gods, ask them for help for their fellow tribesmen. The leader-priest led the rites.

Over time, members of the community (tribe) began to supply the leader and his entourage with everything necessary. Initially, these were voluntary gifts, signs of respect. Then the donations went into the category compulsory taxes similar to taxes. Successes in economic development can be considered the material basis of this phenomenon. It has been calculated, for example, that the primitive farmer of Western Asia provided himself with food for a whole year in two months of work, and he gave the rest of the time to the leaders and priests.

After a successful raid on the neighbors, the leader and especially distinguished warriors received the best part of the booty. Among the booty were prisoners. Previously, they were either released, or sacrificed to the gods, or eaten. Now the prisoners were forced to work for the winners (again, because a person could already produce more than he himself needed). So there were slaves.

The growth of the wealth of the leaders and nobility as a result of wars further increased their power over their fellow tribesmen.

The tribes united in unions were usually not equal among themselves. The union was dominated by one tribe, sometimes by force forcing others to join it. It was not uncommon for one tribe to conquer another. In this case, the conquerors had to develop new control mechanisms. The leaders of the conquering tribes became rulers, and their fellow tribesmen - assistants in managing the conquered.

The resulting structure was in many ways similar tostate , one of the main features of which is the presence of bodies for managing society, separated from society itself.

At the same time, the traditions of self-government were preserved for a very long time. Even the most powerful leader convened a people's assembly, where important decisions were discussed and approved. The assembly elected a new leader after the death of the old one, even if he was his son.

The first states arose where the leaders and their assistants also became the leaders of economic life.

So it was in those places where for agriculture it was necessary to build and maintain complex irrigation facilities in good condition.

The birth of cities. Some villages of farmers turned into large settlements. Walls of stone were erected around them. Such settlements resembled cities. Cities became the seat of the leaders of the tribes, from where they controlled the district subject to them. In the center of such a city, one or more temples which were considered the dwellings of the gods. In special honor were the gods of the sun, wind and rain, who were believed to control natural phenomena, on which the life of farmers and pastoralists largely depended.

One of the oldest settlements (VIII millennium BC) was discovered in the city of Jericho in Palestine. Around ancient Jericho, in which about 3 thousand people lived, walls of stone up to 3 m thick were built. An even larger urban-type settlement of Chatal-Guyuk (Chatal-Hyuyuk) existed in the 7th-6th millennia BC. in Asia Minor. Houses of clay bricks dried in the sun were built close to each other, there were no streets, and the doors were on the roof.

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

1. What is a producing economy? How does it differ and what are its advantages over the appropriating economy? Make a comparison table.

2. What is the Neolithic Revolution? Where and why did it start?

3. What was new in people's lives during the Neolithic Revolution?

4. How did the Neolithic revolution spread on Earth? What was the contribution of the ancient inhabitants of the territory of modern Russia to the Neolithic revolution?

5. What is the first and second social division of labor? What were their consequences?

6. What are the main points of view on the problem of the origin of the Indo-European peoples.

7. Compare the neighboring community with the tribal one. What changes in people's lives are associated with the transition from a tribal community to a neighboring one?

8. What are the reasons for the transition of tribes from a system of self-government to a system of sole power?9. How did the origin of statehood take place? What role did war play in this process?

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§ Neolithic revolution and its consequences What is the neolithic revolution. Neolithic Revolution": causes, essence and consequences

neolithic revolution

Neolithic Revolution - what is it?

CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION. ORIGIN OF STATES

neolithic revolution

neolithic revolution

INTRODUCTION

Neolithic Revolution: Causes and Significance

1. Causes of the Neolithic Revolution

2. Consequences of the Neolithic Revolution

CONCLUSION

LIST OF USED LITERATURE

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