UNIT 5 LESSON 3:

SOCIOPOLITICAL
EVOLUTION OF
MAN
Sociopolitical Evolution - Transformation of different
societies and political systems.
NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION
• Early lifestyles have greatly been
influenced by nature. As such,
developments in human life also
occurred with the influence of the
natural environment.
• The Paleolithic period involved humans as hunter-gatherers in society. They are
nomadic people who transfer from one area to another to hunt animals or gather
plants for consumption and survival. This has been the practice until around
12,000 B.C
• Neolithic Revolution the era of a newfound lifestyle when humans started to
domesticate animals and crops.
• From being hunter-gatherers or nomads, people became farmers through
domestication, the process of increasing human control in breeding animals or
plants to regulate certain traits that will make them useful for other human needs.
The domestication of animals and plants implied that humans stay in a permanent
area to enable their resources to grow and expand.
• One of the first Neolithic societies recorded in existence
was Mesopotamia, which is at present, the country of
Iraq. It was believed that it existed in the same period as
other Neolithic societies in China, America, and Africa.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION TO
THE EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS

• The Neolithic revolution has facilitated an economic and societal shift that
paved the way for further developments in early human lifestyle. As such,
advances in different aspects of human life started during this era. The
following are the implications of the Neolithic Revolution in social,
economic, and human development.
1. Social Implications
• The Neolithic revolution paved the way for the creation of civilization through permanent
settlements dictated by reliable food supply.
• Development of domestication techniques and practices allowed for a more complex society
and the possibility for urbanization.
• A form of social stratification was developed.
2. Economic Implications
• Because of the domestication of crops and animals, an abundant supply of food and resources
was maintained.
• Introduction of a selective breeding process of crops and animals that would allow for the
development of new species was developed.
3. Human Implications
• There was an increase in human population and life span across civilizations.
• People learned to play different social roles apart from being farmers (e.g., craftsmen, priests,
leaders).
EVIDENCE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF THE
NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION

Artefactual evidence proves the existence and success of the Neolithic

revolution in influencing sociopolitical development. Here are examples of
pieces of evidence found to support the existence of this era:
• Morphological changes among Neolithic people, including brain size and
mandible, imply dietary changes from solely eating plants to consumption of
meat.
• A subterranean structure in Syria was found to be built during the Neolithic
revolution and served as a communal storage facility.
EARLY
CIVILIZATIONS
AND THE RISE OF
STATES
THE RISE OF CIVILIZATIONS

• Civilizations began to develop during the Neolithic period when the early humans learned
to settle in just one area to domesticate plants and animals for survival. The first
civilizations were found mostly in Asia, particularly in China and Mesopotamia, now Iraq.
The latter was part of the Fertile Crescent, an area in the ancient Middle East that is
believed to be “cradle of civilization” and the birthplace of agriculture, urbanization,
writing, trade, and science due to its fertile land area. This area was the site of the rivers
Tigris and Euphrates, which became important resources for the early civilizations. During
this period, civilizations were mainly agrarian societies that treated both genders equally
as the primary tasks only involved farming, domestication, and harvesting. Though this
may be the case, social roles began to emerge with some members of the community
becoming priests or priestesses, laborers, and farmers.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF STATES

• In Mesopotamia, in the region of Sumer in 4000 BC, two important developments took place that influenced
the flow of the socio-political process of the early civilizations. These are: (1) the rise of states and (2) the
invention of writing. Historians believe that these developments occurred because of trade among different
regions. The early civilizations would have had some form of writing to document or record traces of their
products and trades.
• During the Copper Age (5,900-3,200 BCE), the system of trade grew in prosperity leading to the development
of cities and changes in socio-political positions with some civilizations promoting a kingship to replace
priestly rule to be able to foresee the flow of trade and negotiations with other regions. This era led to
numerous developments such as the invention of the wheel and the transition from the use of stone tools to
copper tools.
• In 3,000-2,119 BCE, during the early Bronze Age, copper instruments were replaced by bronze tools. Along
with this, the rise of city-states continued, thereby laying out a foundation for economic and political stability.
As a result, more empires, civilizations, and states began to rise and develop.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE RISE OF
CIVILIZATIONS AND STATES

The rise of civilizations and states have led to urbanization, economic focus, political power, and material
development. These changes have allowed both positive and negative implications that directly affected
future developments in the socio-political evolution of men. The following are some implications of the
rise of civilizations and states:
• Warfare: Conflict and wars emerged among states as tensions grew among them. Soon, professional
armies and weaponry began to make their appearance.
• Metalwork: A vast development in metalwork occurred along with the rise of civilizations and states.
During this time, people began to discover various raw materials, such as iron, copper, and bronze for
making tools and weapons.
• Political system: Because of economic factors such as trading, the leadership among city-states began to
be more organized and developed. With the kingship system replacing the priestly leaders, each state had
an executive branch that centralized decisions and communications with other states.
Artefactual evidence proves the existence and occurrences of early
civilizations and states. Here are some of the pieces of evidence found to
support the existence of this era:
• In 1922, archaeologist Sir Leonard Wooley discovered the remains of two
four-wheeled wagons that dated back to the Mesopotamian era.
• Excavations in the 1840s revealed human settlements in Mesopotamia during
10,000 BCE.
DEMOCRATIZATION

The rise of civilizations and city-states

paved the way for new developments during
the Copper and Bronze Age. Now, we look
at how those impacted the following periods
and developments.
OCCURRENCES AND INFLUENCES LEADING
TO A DEMOCRATIC CITY-STATE
• Agricultural developments in Asia and Africa eventually spread to the nearby civilizations of
Greece and Rome. Both Greeks and Romans adapted to the farming culture developed by the
Mesopotamians, even following the latter’s socio-political structure of kingship. Eventually,
they engaged in trade as their resources highly developed, thereby affecting socio-economic
growth.
• In Greece, societal status and groups began to develop with the King bearing the highest
position in all Greek city-states, followed by the aristocracy and noblemen, then the farmers.
As wars were already occurring among city-states, tensions also grew among social classes.
Adding to that incident were the growing ambitions of the Greek kings to transform themselves
into palace-laden rulers just like their predecessors from the Bronze Age. However, this need
for power was not feasible since the primarily abundant metal during the period was iron, a
relatively cheaper metal compared to bronze. This implied that the king would find it difficult
to seek greater power, since the weaponry and machinery, primarily made of iron, were much
cheaper and can be afforded by practically anyone within the citystate.
• In 750 BC, with high tensions and alarm over the intentions of the kings, the noblemen
collectively acted on ousting them, leading to a successful establishment of the first republics.
THE BEGINNINGS OF DEMOCRATIZATION

• Since Greek kings were thrown off by the noblemen, city-states began to change the form of leadership
into an oligarchy where rulers were made up of aristocracies. However, because of inexpensive and
accessible weaponry, and the ongoing wars between city-states, even ordinary people like the farmers
learned to arm themselves and rebel against drastic changes.
• Because an oligarchic government also ruled in favor of the noblemen and aristocracies, ordinary
people also used their collective power against an abusive government. In effect, city-states were now
ruled by a tyrant, a positive term for a Greek leader that meant “boss.” Tyrants became effective in
ensuring fair treatment for both land owners and farmers. For some time, peace and equality emerged
among social classes. In the second generation of tyrant rule, however, a son of a tyrant made some
wrong and abusive decisions that led to another revolution ousting the tyrant rule. Because of this,
intelligent leaders of Greek city-states proposed that power must account for the common people. This
led them to create a more broad-based constitution, eventually developing some democratic city-states.
It was in 594 BC1 when Solon gave Athens a new constitution. This event was considered as the rise of
democracy in Greece.
• As such, democracy is referred to as a political and government system where members of the society
are free to participate in the decision-making processes of the state. It should be noted, though, that not
all Greek city-states followed this ruling, especially the poorer, more backward areas. Still, the political
change in Greece has influenced Roman forms of government.
SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPLICATION OF
DEMOCRATIZATION

The development of democracy led to changes that greatly impacted the ordinary people by
reducing inequality and promoting fair treatment for all. The beginnings of democratization
in Greece laid out the foundations for modern-day democracy. In addition, the establishment
of a democratic government promoted the development of culture and art that eventually
distinguished the Greek and Roman civilizations from other ancient civilizations. Below are
artefactual evidence of the artistic and cultural implications of democratization:
• Greek literature began to emerge as the poet Homer created his epics, Iliad and Odyssey.
• Stone temples that appeared as early as 600 BC were improved through classical Greek
structures upon the rise of democratization.
HISTORY MAKER
• Cleisthenes (570 – 508 BC) was a Greek ruler
who introduced the concept of demokratia
(meaning “ruled by the people”) to the citizens
of Athens, Greece. This political system
comprised of the ekklesia, in charge of foreign
policies and laws; the boule, representatives
from ten Athenian tribes; and diskateria, the
supreme court.
• While Cleisthenes’ democratic government
only survived for 200 years, the political
system became a foundation of modern
democratic movements. Greece became known
as the starting point of democracy.
QUIZ
A. Write the correct answer on the blank provided below.
1. It is a political system where rulers of a country or a government are made
up of the aristocracy.
2. It is an area in the ancient Middle East that is believed to be “cradle of
civilization” and the birthplace of agriculture, urbanization, trade, and science due to its
fertile land area.
3. It is the era in cultural evolution when people began to settle in specific
areas to domesticate plants and animals.
4. It is a positive terminology for a Greek leader that also translates to “boss.”
5. He started out the democratic political system in Greece.