From Nomadic to Sedentary Society: The Neolithic Revolution
The first scholars to study the prehistoric era sought to establish a timeline based exclusively on material evidence of human intelligence, specifically in the form of tools found at archeological sites.
Thus was established the first classifications of the ages prior to the appearance of writing: The Stone Age and the Metal Age. The first of these was, in turn, divided into the Paleolithic (meaning “old stone”) and the Neolithic (“new stone”), according to the sophistication of the instruments used. The second, meanwhile, was divided according to the metals employed: copper, an easily malleable material; bronze, an alloy in which copper is strengthened with aluminum, a procedure requiring a certain level of metallurgical technique; and iron, which requires a much more complex metallurgical manipulation process.Over time, however, the progress made in archeological discoveries ended up transforming the initial meanings of the terms “Paleolithic” and “Neolithic”. The former came to refer to the age of nomadic man, who essentially lived by hunting, which forced him to constantly move to pursue game, while the latter came to refer to the era following man’s discovery of agriculture and his establishment of the first sedentary communities, as he came to fix his residence in specific territories.
When men are nomadic and human groups are small, group organization and leadership tends to be entrusted to the individual who can best assure everyone’s survival. However, during past ages these leaders tended to be aided in their tasks by another member of the group: a shaman, witch doctor, druid or high priest, one who, as the wisest, maintained the tribe’s cultural traditions and acted as an intermediary between his people and supernatural forces. From the point of view of social cohesion, what kept the group together was, essentially, the drive to survive amidst conditions that were quite hostile and difficult, and life was organized around this function.[10]
It should not be ruled out, however, that in some cases these prehistoric peoples achieved forms of social organization featuring greater cohesion. How else can one explain the erection of megalithic monuments but the existence of a social framework allowing for harmony sufficient to organize the transport of stones of such dimensions? The lack of written documents, however, confines us to the realm of speculation.
What is undeniable is that, at a certain point, man became a sedentary creature who came to settle down in fixed locations. His transformation from a nomad, leading a life based on hunting, to a sedentary lifestyle, rooted in agricultural
production and livestock breeding, was such a landmark event in human history that the term “Neolithic Revolution” was coined to refer to it.[11]
The transition from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic came about slowly as a consequence of climatic changes occurring in the wake of the last Ice Age (10000 bc). This is why there is frequent talk of an intermediate Mesolithic Era which, depending on the areas in question, is identified as having occurred between 15 and 8 millennia bc. The Neolithic Revolution, however, did not occur simultaneously all over the world. It first appeared where geographical conditions were most favorable for agricultural development (Bellwood 2005, 19-24). Conversely, it appeared latest where climatic conditions were adverse, which explains why there are still nomadic peoples living in desert areas, such as the African Bushmen of the Kalahari.
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