Introduction

Long ago, humans were hunter-gatherers. They looked for their food in nature. Early humans collected plants and hunted for fresh meat. The beginning of farming was one of the biggest changes in human history.

Farming allowed humans to store extra food. That left more time for other activities. In this way, farming made it possible for humans to build complex societies.

These societies did not appear overnight. They developed over a long period of time. Most early communities lived in villages and small towns.

These early villages grew in different ways. Some eventually became large cities. Others remained independent villages. We do not have written records from most villages. However, scientific studies have revealed a lot of information. Scientists have been able to reconstruct a story about early village life.

Social life before the city

What was life like before farming? Early hunter-gatherer societies were largely egalitarian. That means all people were treated equally. No one had more power than anyone else. This continued to be the case in early farming villages. People in these communities were equal. Most people living in villages spent their time producing food. Work was mostly divided by gender. Women spent more time taking care of children. However, they also helped to produce food. These gender divisions did not necessarily mean women were not treated equally.

How do scientists know this? Digs at ancient sites in Ukraine and the town of Çatalhüyük in Turkey show that houses were mostly about the same size. Evidence shows that people in villages probably shared tools and workspaces. Objects in homes were of mostly equal value, too.

Farming communities were different than foraging communities. People lived closer together, which meant disease could spread quickly. Farmers also worried more about weather since their food supply depended on it. The importance of weather is evident in early religious beliefs and practices.

These societies were not models of equality. As villages grew, people developed new ideas. One of these was the idea of owning things. Before farming, everyone shared. Owning things made people less equal since some people had more than others. Farming also impacted gender roles. Over time, women focused less on producing food and more on caring for their children and homes.

Before long-distance trade

Early villages traded with each other in networks. This allowed them to acquire things like obsidian. Obsidian is a black glass that comes from cooled volcanic lava. It is used to make sharp cutting tools. Parts of obsidian tools have been found in Turkey and the Pacific Ocean islands.

Historians use artifacts to learn about early trade networks. For example, obsidian, ceramics, shells, and plants reveal that islands in Oceania traded with each other. In the Americas, coastal villages traded fish, mollusks, and shells with inland villages. The inland villages grew corn and potatoes and raised llamas. Trade caused early villages to expand. People built roads and bridges to reach new areas. Trade also increased how people took on special tasks. That means people had different kinds of jobs. For example, some people focused on growing food. Others made tools or built buildings. Larger projects needed to be managed by leaders. As a result, some people became more powerful than others. Society became more unequal.

Gender roles continued to change. For example, men often took control of the family’s money. This left women with less power. However, this did not happen everywhere in quite the same way. People had different ideas of gender and family in different parts of the world.

Trade helped villages to grow. Because of this, village networks also increased trade. Over time, villages in main areas became larger. Many turned into cities. This produced a new kind of life that was very different from village life.