HANDOUT FOR AUG. 31: PREHISTORY AND BEGINNINGS OF AGRICULTURE
Periodization:
Paleolithic (Old Stone Age): From first humans up to end of Ice Age c.10000 BC. Hunter-gatherers.
Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age): From end of Ice Age to beginning of agriculture.
Neolithic (New Stone Age): Defined by beginning of agriculture, c.8000 BC in Near East, about 2-3 thousand years later in Europe. Appearance of villages, pottery.
Bronze Age: From c.3500 BC.
Iron Age: From c.1000 BC.
Domesticated Animals:
Dog: earliest.
Sheep: by 8000 BC in Near East.
Goat: by 7000 BC.
Cattle: by 5000 BC in Mesopotamia.
Donkey: by 3000 BC.
Pig: by 3000 BC.
Horse: by 3000 BC in Central Asia, not widespread in Near East until after 2000 BC. Used for chariots by 1600 BC.
Chicken: originally domesticated in India, appears in Near East and Egypt by 1500 BC.
Camel: by 1000 BC in South Arabia, widespread in Roman world by 1 AD.
Crops:
Wheat and barley. Used to make bread, porridge, beer.
Date palm: widespread in Near East.
Olive: widespread in Mediterranean. Main source of oil for lamps.
Grape: widespread in Mediterranean. Wine.
Technologies:
Pottery: by 7000 BC.
First metalworking, in copper: by 5500 BC.
Bronze (alloy of copper and tin): by 3500 BC.
Wheel: by 3000 BC in Mesopotamia, 2000 BC in Egypt.
Writing: by 3000 BC in Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Iron-working: begins c.1000 BC in Anatolia (Hittites), widespread by 800 BC.