The Neolithic Period and the Metal Age

In the Neolithic Period…• Humans become producers. They begin to have farms.• On these farms. the first crops were cereals and the first

animals were goats, sheep and pigs• Humans became sedentary: This means they built houses

and lived in one place• The population increased.

In the Neolithic Period…• Humans made tools like axes, sickles, pestles and mortars

and hoes• Humans made other crafts like baskets, pottery, textiles• A division of labor happened because people worked in

different activities.

Religion in the Neolithic Period• The religion was the cult of the stars. This means people

watched and worshiped the stars, especially the sun.• Also there was the cult of the dead. People worshiped their

dead relatives and ancestors.

Life in the Neolithic Age

The Metal Age• Fifth millennium BC to the first millennium BC• Metalworking started in urban societies in the Fertile Crescent

• The Metal Age has 3 stages• Copper Age (from 4000 BC)• Bronze Age (from 2200 BC)• Iron Age (from 1000 BC)

In the Metal Age…• New inventions: the wheel, the potter’s wheel and the plough• There were more types of work because metal artisans started• Trade developed because people could trade metal for other

things• Villages grew• Social inequalities increased because people in societies that

had metal had more power than other societies.

Art in the Metal Age• Megalithic monuments: structures made of huge stones

Metalworking