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Background
During the Paleolithic Period, which lasts from the
beginnings of human life until about 10,000 BCE, people were nomads. They lived in groups of
20 -30, and spent most of their time
hunting and gathering. In these groups, work was divided
between men and women, with the men hunting game
animals, and women gathering fruits, berries, and other
edibles. These early peoples developed simple
tools such as, spears and axes made from bone, wood, and
stone. Human beings lived in this manner from
earliest times until about 10,000 BCE, when they started
to cultivate crops and domesticate animals. This
is known as the Neolithic Revolution.
The Neolithic Revolution was a fundamental change in the
way people lived. The shift from hunting & gathering
to agriculture led to permanent settlements, the
establishment of social classes, and the eventual
rise
of civilizations. The Neolithic Revolution is a major
turning point in human history.
Great
Discoveries
About 10,000 BCE, humans began to cultivate crops and
domesticate certain animals. This was a change
from the system of hunting and gathering that had
sustained humans from earliest times. As a result,
permanent settlements were established. Neolithic
villages continued to divide work between men and
women. However, women's status declined as men
took the lead in in most areas of these early
societies. New technologies
developed in response to the need for better tools and
weapons to go
along with the new way of living. Neolithic
farmers created a simple calendar to keep track
of planting and harvesting. They also developed
simple metal tools such as plows,
to help with their work. Some groups even may have
used animals to pull these plows, again making work
easier. Metal weapons were developed as
villages needed to protect their valuable resources. Early
River Civilizations
Egypt: Most of Egyptian science and technology
revolved around their fascination with  the
afterlife. Egyptian scientist were experts
at preserving the human body after
death through a process called mummification.
Developing this process also gave them insights on how
the body worked, and enable some physicians to better diagnose
illness, and even perform surgery. Egyptians
scientist created a fairly accurate calendar, and
a system of writing called hieroglyphics.
Egyptian scientist also used advanced mathematical
and engineering skills in the creation of the pyramids,
and irrigation systems. Mesopotamia:
The Sumerians in Mesopotamia were the first to
build wheeled vehicles. The built irrigation
systems, dykes, and canals for
better farming. 
Sumerian scholars developed the Cuneiform system
of writing, the earliest known system. Sumerian mathematicians
developed early forms of algebra and geometry.
Other civilizations in Mesopotamia also contributed
scientific and technological advancements, such as the Hittites,
who were the first to mine iron ore
to produce iron, and the Babylonians, who
were some of the first people to study the skies, adding
knowledge to the new field of astronomy. Early
China: Under the Shang Dynasty,
scholars developed a system of writing that used pictographs,
or drawings of objects, and
ideographs, or drawings that expressed a thought
or idea. Examples
of this type of writing can be found on oracle bones.
Oracle bones are pieces of bone of turtle
shell used by Shang priests to tell the future.
They would write a question addressed to either
one of the gods, or an ancestor on the bone, then heat
it until it cracked.
They believed that by studying the pattern of
cracks, one could learn the answer to the question.
Oracle bones are the oldest example of Chinese
writing.
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