Sociocultural

and Political
Evolution
Overarching Questions:

1.How did societies transform through time?

2.How does cultural evolution affect the
transformation of societies?
3.What are the significant social
developments that happen as societies and
their culture evolve?
4.What are the major political developments
of the early civilizations?
Form a group. Research at least three (3) prominent
myths, legends, or folk tales from any part of the
Philippines. Complete the table with the required
information and present your work in class
What information
regarding Philippine
What is it about? Provide
Title of story/narrative history, customs,
a brief summary.
traditions, and value is
conveyed in the story?
1.

2.

3.
Rubrics

Criteria Points

1. Presentation skills 30

2. Creativity 30

3. Content 20

4. Neatness and Organization 20

 Sociocultural Evolution
and the Development of
Societies from Hunting and
Gathering to Post-
Industrial Societies
 Society and Culture
Society is a group of individuals
sharing a common culture,
geographical location, and
govenrment. Human beings are
considered to be naturally inclined
to establish societies, since it is in
interacting with others that they
are able to ensure their survival
by establishing mutually beneficial
relationships wit one another.
Societies enable individuals to
acquire necessary survival skills,
maximize their potential, and
share resources.
 Society and Culture
A society is characterized by the presence of the
following elements:
a) Social solidarity.
b) Shared identity and culture.
c) Common language.
d) A large population and the ability to sustain
succeeding generations of members.
e) Definite geographic area.
f) Political, economic, and social organization.
 5 Major Types of
Societies According to
How They Change and
Develop Over Time
1.Hunting and gathering
2.Horticultural and pastoral
societies
3.Agricultural societies
4.Industrial societies
5.Post-industrialist societies
Hunting and
Gathering
The oldest and most basic
way of economic
subsistence is hunting and
gathering. Hunting and
gathering societies
produce simple forms of
tools used to hunt for
animals and gather plants
and vegetation for food.
Hunting and
Gathering
In this society, the men are
tasked to hunt large animals
like deer, elk, moose, and
other animals available in their
areas. The women, on the
other hand, are responsible for
the collection of vegetation,
berries, and small edible
crops. Because of this setup,
scientists describe the
relationship between men and
Horticultural and
Pastoral Societies
Horticultural societies
developed around 10,000 years
ago and they are described as
semisedentary societies because
they do not frequently move as
opposed to hunting and
gathering societies. This
societies subsist through small
scale farming. They produce and
use simple forms of hand tools
to plant crops.
Horticultural and
Pastoral Societies
They use hoes and digging
sticks to bore holes in the
grounds for seed planting.
These artifacts were first used
in the fertile regions in West
Asia (Middle East) and
Southeast Asia. By around
6,000 years ago, these simple
farming tools were also used in
Western Europe and China.
Horticultural and
Pastoral Societies
In horticultural societies,
there is a surplus of food.
Because food supply is more
than enough to feed the
members of society, some of
its members engage in other
forms of subsistence like
making crafts and trading.
Some members become
priests.
Horticultural and
Pastoral Societies
Pastoral societies developed
around 10,000 years ago. The
principal means of subsistence
of pastoralists is animal
domestication. Pastoralists
societies developed in dry
regions of the world where
raising crops was not possible.
These societies are classified as
animal herders and subsist
based on the resources provided
by their animals.
Horticultural and
Pastoral Societies
Pastoralists are also engaged in
small-scale trading with other
groups. They are described as
semisedentary as well because
they have settlements, but they
do not stay in one place
permanently. As opposed to
hunting and gathering societies,
both horticultural and pastoral
societies are described as having
unequal social relations because
some members act as the ruling
Agricultural Societies
Agricultural societies began
5,000 years ago during the
Neolithic Period (8,000-4,000
BCE). During this time, the
Neolithic Revolution occurred.
With this major sociocultural
and economic development,
agricultural societies started
to cultivate wheat, barley,
peas, rice, and millet between
8,000 and 3,500 BCE.
Agricultural Societies
During this time, humans
began to farm and
domesticate animals as their
form of subsistence. By 7,000
BCE, Neolithic people
produced cultivation tools
and developed farming skills
that can support and sustain
a town with a population of
over a thousand people.
Agricultural Societies
This was evident in Jericho located
in the Jordan River Valley and Catal
Huyuk located in Turkey. Agriculture
developed in Western Asia (Middle
east) by 3,500 BCE and the
abundant supply of resources
produced through plant cultivation
led to the rise of early civilizations.
This new form of economic
subsistence eventually spread in
different parts of the world and it
became known as the Neolithic
Revolution, which transformed
societies into agricultural societies.
Industrial
Societies
Industrial societies began
when the Industrial Revolution
swept through Europe during
the late eighteenth century
and the first half of the
nineteenth century (from
1780’s to 1850’s). During the
Industrial Revolution, new
sources of energy were
harnessed, advanced forms of
technology were applied, and
machineries were invented.
Industrial
Societies
These changes led to
industrialization or the
transformation of an
agricultural society into a
production-and-
manufacturing based one. This
was made possible using
advanced sources of energy
that operated factory
machineries. Industrialization
produced several changes in
society.
Industrial
Societies
It created centralized
workplaces, economic
interdependence, formal
education, and complex
social systems. During this
time, people left their
farmlands and transferred
to the urban areas to work
in factories.
 Post-Industrialist
Societies
With the development of
information technology and
computers, many societies
transformed into post-
industrial societies. The
United States, like many
other developed countries,
have reached the post-
industrial era and undergone
a post-industrial revolution.
 Post-Industrialist
Societies
The Post-Industrial
Revolution is an important
development from the
Industrial Revolution as
economic production focused
on the use and application of
new information technology
rather than factories
(Macionis 2002, p.46).
Post-Industrialist
Societies
In the post-industrial era,
Macionis (2002) writes that
production “centers on
computers and other
electronic devices that
create, process, and apply
ideas and information.”
Daniel Bell, and American
sociologist at Harvard
University, introduced the
rise of the post-industrial
 Post-Industrialist
Societies
According to Bell (1999), post-
industrial societies are
characterized by the following:

1. Transfer of labor
workforce from
manufacturing to service.
 Post-Industrialist
Societies
According to Bell (1999), post-
industrial societies are
characterized by the following:
2. A significant increase in
the number of
professional and technical
employment and a decline
in the number of skilled
and semiskilled workers.
 Post-Industrialist
Societies
According to Bell (1999), post-
industrial societies are
characterized by the following:

3. Education as the basis

of social mobility.
 Post-Industrialist
Societies
According to Bell (1999), post-
industrial societies are
characterized by the following:

4. Human capital as an
essential aspect of
understanding the
strength of society.
 Post-Industrialist
Societies
According to Bell (1999), post-
industrial societies are
characterized by the following:

5. Application of
“intellectual technology”
which is based on the
application of
mathematics and
linguistics and the use of
algorithms and software
 Post-Industrialist
Societies
According to Bell (1999), post-
industrial societies are
characterized by the following:

6. Focus on
communication
infrastructure.
 Post-Industrialist
Societies
According to Bell (1999), post-
industrial societies are
characterized by the following:

7. Knowledge as source of
invention
 Political
Evolution and the
Development of
Early Civilization
The development of the early
civilizations showed the political
evolution of society. A civilization
develops because of society’s highly
advanced level of culture, social
organization, political developments,
judicial system, arts, and other forms of
culture at a particular time.
 Four Main
Civilizations

 Sumerian civilization
 Indus Valley
civilization
 Shang civilization
 Egyptian civilization
 Sumerian civilization

 Developed along
the Tigris and
Euphrates River
in West Asia.
Indus Valley
civilization
Started
along the
Indus River
Valley in
India.
 Shang civilization

Developed
near the
Huang
Ho/Huang He
River in China.
Egyptian civilization

Started
along the
Nile River.
This river valley civilizations are
considered the cradles of human
civilization because it was in these river
valley systems were the Sumerian,
Indian, Chinese, and Egyptian
civilizations developed and flourished.
What are the characteristics of these
civilizations?
Below are their important characteristics:
1. Developed and highly advanced cities.
2. Well-defined city centers.
3. Complex and systematic institutions.
4. Organized and centralized system of government.
5. Formalized and complex form of religion.
6. Job specializations.
7. Development of social classes.
8. Implementation of large-scale public works and
infrastructures like defense walls, monuments,
temples, mausoleums, government edifices, trading
centers, and markets.
9. Sophisticated and detailed forms of arts and
architecture.
10. Advanced technology.
Political systems of civilizations have a highly
centralized and well-organized form of
government whose leaders are powerful enough
to order the building of massive infrastructure
and implement new polices for citizens. The
political system of early civilizations had a clear
hierarchy of officials with specific functions and
responsibilities. They also had codified laws and
rules that where obeyed and follow by the people.
The early civilizations also developed an
organized, stable, and effective government to
ensure the safety of the people and supervise the
production and distribution of the food supply.
Political leaders of early civilizations
were also tasked to do the following:
1. Craft laws
2. Implement laws
3. Impose justice and punishment
4. Collect taxes
5. Sometimes act as religious leaders as
well
The table below presents the different political
systems of the four major cradles of civilization. Note
that each civilization had a different set of social
classes and political leaders.
Social class Sumer Egypt Indus valley Shang

Political leader
Priests and
and highest Pharaoh Brahman King Priest
royalty
social class

1. Government
officials
1. Wealthy 2. Soldiers 1. Kshatriyas Working class
Other social merchants 3. Scribes 2. Vaisyas (farmers
classes 2. ordinary 4. Merchants 3. Sudras craftsmen,
workers 5. Craftsmen 4. Pariah soldiers)
6. Peasants
7. Slaves