A Reassessment of the Neolithic Revolution

Abstract

Domestication in the Near East was a two-part, two-stage sequence that involved separate processes and histories for cereals and livestock. Archaeological data suggest that plants were domesticated in lowland regions of the Near East in a process that began as early as 18,000 years ago. By contrast, the caprines and cattle show no signs of human control before about 10,000 years ago. Domestication of livestock occurred in the Zagros and Taurus mountains and perhaps central Asia. The emergence of mixed economies emphasizing both domestic plants and animals resulted in the "Neolithic Revolution", with sedentism, population increase and colonization of new areas.