The Agricultural Revolution happened about 10,000 years ago, and it changed how people lived in many important ways. Here are some of the key changes:
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Population Growth:
- The world's population jumped from around 5 million people to 250 million by the year 1.
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Settlement and Urbanization:
- People stopped moving around so much and started living in one place. This led to the creation of early cities like Jericho, where thousands of people lived together around 9,000 years ago.
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Crop Domestication:
- People began to grow certain plants on purpose. Important crops included wheat, which was grown around 9,000 years ago; rice, grown about 8,000 years ago; and maize (corn), which was grown around 5,000 years ago.
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Food Production:
- Farming produced much more food than hunting and gathering. In some places, farmers could grow three times as much food.
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Societal Structures:
- New ways of organizing society began to develop. This included different social classes and people specializing in certain jobs, which helped with trade and led to new inventions.