6 characteristics of the NEOLITHIC

The Stone Age is one of the most important periods in the history of humanity, for among other things being the first stage of the human being in history, and thereby laying the foundations of humanity. The last of the periods that make up the Stone Age is the Neolithic, being the stage that precedes the Age of Metals, and being when the human being acquired some of its main characteristics. For all this, and to learn about this period, in this lesson from a Teacher we discover the main characteristics of the Neolithic.

Index

1. What is the Neolithic: short summary
2. What are the main characteristics of the Neolithic?
3. Neolithic stages

He Neolithic It is the last of the three periods into which the Stone age, being one of the periods in which the human being had a greater evolution, such as finally achieving a sedentary life. The Neolithic can be situate between 7,000 a. C and 3,000 a. c., being located between the Mesolithic and the beginning of the Metal Age.

The Neolithic was a turning point for the history of humanity, since society underwent an enormous change, especially in the way in which it was organized and in how it related to the outside world. In this new era, human beings managed to develop livestock and agriculture, which together with the creation of dwellings made it possible for humanity to fully adopt a way of life sedentary. For all these reasons it is considered that the Neolithic laid the foundations of what we understand as civilization and society.

To continue this lesson from a Teacher we must talk about the main characteristics of the Neolithic, being a key element to understand this period. the neolithic It is the final phase of the Stone Age, and for this reason it has many elements in common with the rest of the phases of this period, although it also It has its own characteristics that allowed humanity to advance towards the Age of Metals.

The main characteristics of the Neolithic are the following:

1. The Neolithic suffered first agricultural revolution in history since it was at this stage when agriculture emerged as such, since before that people fed themselves through the system of hunters and gatherers. For this reason, during this period, human beings learned to cultivate the land and live by feeding on what it gave them.
2. At this stage human beings also they learned to tame animals, what we usually call livestock. Through this system, human beings were able to obtain resources from animals, such as clothing, food or materials, thanks to which they were able to prosper.
3. The Neolithic was the period in which human beings becamesedentary, since the discovery of agriculture and livestock allowed them not to need to travel to get resources. It was at this stage when the first towns and cities appear, and the concept of civilization was born.
4. During this stage an enormous pottery development, serving for it to be a period marked by abundant ceramics, and for trade to be born as a way of exchanging these products.
5. The stone toolsThey were the most used at this stage, but great advances were made compared to those used in the Paleolithic, especially due to the appearance of polished stone.
6. The rise of cities brought the appearance of social classes, so little by little all the cities began to have social inequalities, being the first example of what we currently know as a social pyramid.

Like all periods of our history, the Neolithic is also divided into various phases, serving this division to understand how the human being prospered throughout this stage. For this reason the stages The Stone Age period known as Neolithic is divided into are the following:

• Early Neolithic: The first phase of the Neolithic covers approximately from the year 7000 a. c. until 5500 a. c. This period is characterized as being when human beings began their transition from the hunter-gatherer economy to one based on agriculture and livestock. This period was also marked because it was when the first fixed settlements appeared, since the beings humans began to have enough abilities to live in a fixed place and have a way of life sedentary.
• Middle or Full Neolithic: The second phase of the Neolithic extends from approximately 5500 BC. c. until 4000 B.C. c. This period was characterized by a greater development of agriculture and livestock, being when they appeared a wide variety of inventions and tools that increased agricultural production and the number of animals that could look after. It is also at this stage that what we can say are the first social classes appear, with a social evolution that would lead humans to what we currently understand as a pyramid social. But above all, this phase is characterized by the enormous advance of the aljafería, causing this to be the stage where ceramics had the greatest growth.
• Late or Late Neolithic: This phase is located approximately from 5,000 a. c. until 3,000 a. c. This period is recognized as the one that gave way from the Stone Age to the Metal Age, so it is the stage in human beings achieve perfection in the tasks that were developed throughout the Neolithic. It is at this stage that we find the first cities, and also when we discover how to work with metals.

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If you want to read more articles similar to Neolithic Characteristics, we recommend that you enter our category of History.

• Ruiz, a. TO. (2009). The end of the Mesolithic and the beginning of the Neolithic in the Iberian Peninsula: chronology and phases. Munibe Anthropology-Arkeology, 60, 157-173.
• Roda Gilabert, X. (2012). Les activitats domèstiques del mesolític, a estudi. UAB divulges, 0001-1.
• Rodríguez-Alegría, E. (2007). From the Stone Age to the Stone Age. Mediterranean Archeology Notebooks, 15-30.