Neolithic technology centered on agriculture and animal domestication (the Neolithic Revolution), with major innovations including sharpened stone tools (oval axes, square axes) for farming, pottery for food storage, the invention of weaving and textiles, and the development of permanent housing and megalithic structures, marking the transition from food gatherers to food producers and sedentary life.
Key Technological Innovations:
Agriculture & Animal Husbandry:
The shift from food gathering to food production. Cultivation of crops (wheat, barley) and domestication of animals (cattle, sheep, goats).
Smoothed Stone Tools:
Oval & Square Axes:
Sharpened stone axes for felling trees (clearing agricultural land), processing wood, and other purposes.
Farming Tools:
Stone hoes/stoves. Weapons & Chisels: Arrowheads, chisels for woodworking.
Pottery:
Making vessels from fired clay for storing and processing food, and facilitating trade.
Weaving & Textiles:
Making cloth from plant fibers and animal wool using a loom for clothing.
Buildings & Dwellings:
Permanent houses (longhouses, mud-brick houses) and food storage granaries. Megalithic monuments (tombs, henges) for ritual and community purposes.
Jewelry:
Bracelets and necklaces made from beautiful stones (agate, chalcedony).
Impact of the Neolithic Revolution: Humans began to live a sedentary life. The emergence of more complex cultures and advanced technological knowledge. The development of beliefs (animism, dynamism) and social systems.