Neolithic Cultures And Civilization Throughout Afro-Afro-Eurasia

Exam Question 1

Neolithic cultures and civilizations were found in many places throughout Afro-Eurasia. The reasoning for this will be explained throughout this essay. The reasoning will be presented with factual evidence during the Neolithic Era.

Hunter gather life was how most of our time on Earth was spent as humans. Day in and day out we would hunt, trap and kill wild animals.  We would also gather wild plants, berries and fungi. We as humans did all of this just to survive. This lifestyle ether went one of two ways.  You were either successful at hunting and gathering, or you lacked theses skills. If you were successful you had plenty of food for you and your family. If you were not successful, or you lacked these skills and you and your

family would perish. This lifestyle started to diminish after the first Ice Age.
Thousands of years ago at the end of the last Ice Age, a new lifestyle, know as the Natufian culture, began to emerge in the Middle East. The Ice age was ending and temperatures were warming at a dramatic rate. Food became of an abundance instead of a scarcity. This was the first time in thousands of years. There was no longer the need for traveling long distances to find food. Instead some groups were able to live in the same place year round.  People started building homes. Not to long after they started building homes and settlements, they realized that certain animals, such as sheep, pigs, cattle and goats could be domesticated.  Early settlements also learned how to cultivate certain grasses, such as, wheat, oats and barley . Learning how to cultivate grasses, helped provide food for larger groups of people.
The locations for these early civilizations was very important because they had to be life sustainable. They had to have fertile soil to grow the crops they needed to sustain large populations. They also needed grasses land so they had a undemanding way to feed there vask livestock. Ideal locations for these settlements would be on floodplains located near large rivers like the Indus or Nile River. This is the reasons why certain civilizations appeared in some areas but not in others. There is other reasons for this as well. A few of the early civilizations died out due to diseases. During this Era was the first time that large amounts of humans, animals, and waste material were brought together in close quarters on a daily basis. This lead to several different infections and diseases.