The Agricultural Revolution
The Agricultural Revolution was one of the most important turning points in world history. When humans started farming and domesticating animals, our societies underwent a transformation that gave rise to villages, cities, and powerful empires. Through these resources and lesson plans, explore how early agricultural societies developed and how farming laid the foundation for complex cultures, governments, and religions.
Featured Materials
How Farming Built the First Cities
Article
How Farming Built the First Cities
Farming led to the creation of the first cities and changed the ways people lived. But were these changes good for everyone?
Geography: The Agricultural Revolution
Activity
Geography: The Agricultural Revolution
Can you predict where some of the first crops were grown? Use your geography skills to determine the correct locations.
Farming and the State
Video
Farming and the State
Did farming create states? Were all states made by farmers, and did all farmers come to live in states? Two world historians share what they know about farming and the rise of states.
Lessons
Lesson 2.5
The Biggest Mistake Humans Ever Made?
Was the development of agriculture good or bad? Investigate the consequences—both positive and negative—of farming for humanity.
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Lesson 5.2
Agricultural Revolution
In what ways did going from foraging to farming revolutionize society? Let’s dig deeper into the details of exactly how agriculture changed human life—for better and for worse.
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Materials
The Transition to Farming: Differing Perspectives
Article
The Transition to Farming: Differing Perspectives
The shift from foraging to farming by our ancestors was gradual, uneven, and revolutionary, but there’s a fierce debate on how and why it happened and whether it was a good thing.
Why Was Agriculture So Important?
Video
Why Was Agriculture So Important?
The invention of farming was not just about tastier food. Farming unlocked powerful forces that transformed history.
Communities of Movement: Ancestral Puebloans
Video
Communities of Movement: Ancestral Puebloans
The Ancestral Pueblo built large, complex agricultural societies across the Colorado Plateau. Their farming communities relied on repeated migrations.