Whats the concept of "Neolithic Revolution"....?

Question

How have archaeological theories changed since this initial model of plant domestication?

Answer 1

The Neolithic Revolution refers to the invention of Agriculture, within the past 10,000 years, followed by the domestication of livestock, partially related to the end of the Ice Age, which left European & Western Asian Hunter/Gatherers with substantially less wild meat to hunt, as many types of animals of prey had become extinct!

The Mayans in North America had a sllightly different scenario, as they had cultivated corn, which is more nutritious than the wheat & barley of Mesopotamia. In addition, the prairie life of North America did not suffer as much from the Glacial maximum (It's at a lower latitude), as did the European wildlife, as Europe was covered with Ice, up to the Mediterranean Basin!

Answer 2

The Neolithic, or New Stone Age, generally covers the period from 10,000 years ago. It is marked by the "Neolithic Revolution" that coincided with the end of the last ice age. The revolution consisted of domestication of animals, intensive cultivation of certain food plants, and ground stone tools. This lead to the rise of permanent habitations. One of the greatest advances was the development of artistic expression. This is highlighted by the great Neolithic cave paintings

While stone was still the main material for tools, people changed their techniques to get more tools out of the same amount of rock. Grinding stone tools became common. This greatly increased their effectiveness. A ground stone axe has 80% of the cutting power of a filed steel axe. The ungrounded hand axes couldn't compete.

        The Mayans began about 2500BCE.That's a bit after the Neolitic Revolution is dated.

As for food production: "It was formerly believed that shifting cultivation (swidden) agriculture provided most of their food but it is now thought that permanent raised fields, terracing, forest gardens, managed fallows, and wild harvesting were also crucial to supporting the large populations of the Classic period in some areas. Indeed, evidence of these different agricultural systems persist today: raised fields connected by canals can be seen on aerial photographs"

http://www.crystalinks.com/mayanagricult...