The development of early human societies underwent dramatic changes during the Neolithic Revolution, marking humanity's transition from hunting and gathering to farming and settled communities.
The Neolithic period timeline spans roughly from 12,000 to 3,300 BCE, during which humans made groundbreaking advances in agriculture, tool-making, and social organization. This era saw the emergence of permanent settlements, with people learning to domesticate plants and animals. The major development of the Neolithic Age included the invention of pottery, polished stone tools, and the beginnings of organized religion and complex social hierarchies. Communities began to specialize in different crafts and trades, leading to the first instances of long-distance trade networks.
One of the most significant civilizations to emerge from this period was Mesopotamian civilization, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now modern-day Iraq. The Geography of Mesopotamia played a crucial role in its development, with fertile soil and reliable water sources supporting large-scale agriculture. The Mesopotamia civilization time period roughly extended from 4500 BCE to 539 BCE, during which they developed sophisticated irrigation systems, complex urban centers, and the world's first writing system - cuneiform. Mesopotamia religion was polytheistic, with different city-states worshiping various deities through elaborate temple complexes called ziggurats. The civilization made remarkable achievements in mathematics, astronomy, law (including the famous Code of Hammurabi), and literature (such as the Epic of Gilgamesh). Their innovations in urban planning, architecture, and governmental systems laid the groundwork for future civilizations throughout the ancient world, making Mesopotamia the first civilization to develop many of the features we associate with advanced societies today.