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John Davidson Mr. Edwards AP World History 9/21/13 Agriculture in the Neolithic era was very different from the earlier practice of hunting and gathering. Hunter-Gatherer societies were nomads, but they had an easier time finding food. The men would hunt, and the women gathered wild crops. Sedentary agriculture was much more difficult and laborious because you needed to plant and tend to the crops. Each had its advantages and disadvantages. Sedentary agriculture had its advantages, one of which is being able to settle down and create a large community. You could live, trade and work all in the same place. People could domesticate animals and keep them for a source of meat, milk, and animal hides or wool were used as new forms of clothing. Farming created a surplus of food for the community. Even though farming was more difficult in the beginning, tools were created and processes were simplified to make farming easier. A disadvantage to sedentary agriculture was that you stayed in the same place. You never moved, not very much change occurred. This made villages targets for nomadic groups to raid, especially for food stores. The act of farming itself was more difficult because, during this time people did not use animals to help with labor so they had to do it all on their own. Womens roles became lesser when sedentary villages were created. Even though women worked in the fields, men basically monopolized most of the other opportunities such as animal taming or metal working.

Davidson 2

If I had to choose a lifestyle, I would have to pick the agricultural community. They settle in one place, which is similar to what we do today. They almost always have a surplus of food because they farmed more than what was immediately needed. They had better technology and people had actual professions rather than just hunting or gathering. Even though farming was more difficult than it is today, its advantages outweigh the disadvantages.