The Ancient World Overview

There is still argument among

the experts about when early

humans first appeared and

then spread to different

parts of the world.

Early Human Migration

“Out of Africa”

Most historians currently favour an explanation known

as the ‘Out of Africa’ theory.

This theory states that early humans originally

appeared in Africa about 200 000 years ago.

Early Human Migration

“Out of Africa”

About 100 000 years ago, migrating groups left Africa

in waves, initially arriving in the Middle East.

These waves of migration continued until around 12

000 years ago.

Early Human Migration

“Out of Africa”

The Agricultural Revolution

The Agricultural Revolution

The shift from hunter gathering to agriculture is one of the most important developments in the history of humanity.

The agricultural revolution was a global event because it happened in parallel developments in many parts of the world, although at slightly different times.

It is viewed as the beginning of civilisation.

Core regions of the development of agriculture were in:

- the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East (circa* 10,000 BCE)

- China (circa 9,000 BCE)- New Guinea (circa 8,000 – 6,000 BCE)- South and Central America (circa 4,000 BCE).

Agriculture revolutionised the way people interacted with other species, which revolutionised the way people interacted with each other as well.

It made civilisation possible as people started living in larger communities which grew into towns and then eventually into complex city states.

As agriculture became more and more widespread, people

began to accumulate surpluses of food, meaning that

people grew more than they consumed.

This resulted in the first commerce or

trade as people could then trade or swap their surplus

crops with their neighbours for the items they needed.

This eventually lead to the invention

of writing.

We cannot be certain why and how some groups of

Paleolithic hunter gatherer peoples began adopting new

ways of producing food and other necessities of life by

cultivating plants and domesticating animals because

there are no written records before this transition.

It is thought perhaps climatic changes

associated with the retreat of the glaciers at the end

of the last Ice Age (about 12,000 B.C.), may have

played an important role.

The emergence of agriculture also had a major

environmental impact on the earth. The most

important has been deforestation in order to

make space for crops and livestock.

There is also strong evidence that land clearing for

agriculture, the farming of animals and the

development of rice paddies released significant

amounts of greenhouse gasses (methane and CO2).