Chapter 2 - The Neolithic Era Essay

By Justin Bergh

Last updated 5 months ago

1 Question

Note from the author:

Follow up essay to classwork.

Instructions

Below you will see three source documents.
Using these three documents write an essay to prove or disprove a claim.
A claim is a statement of belief. It can be true or false.
Pick one of the following claims to prove or disprove OR create your own!
Claim 1 - A sedentary civilization is better then a nomadic one.
Claim 2 - The Neolithic Revolution created the building blocks for stuff we have today.
Claim 3 - Agriculture (farming) started human culture, even today's culture.

Source 1
Primary Source
The Evolution of Corn
Photo taken in 2017.
Maize or corn originated in Mexico. Thanks to humans it spread across North and South America. It did not spread quickly. Originally hunter-gatherers would just scatter the seeds and let them grow on their own. The development of systematic agriculture changed this. It took thousands of years of domestication for corn to evolve from the tiny frail Teosinte plant (seen to the left) to the massive hearty corn cobs we have today (seen to the right). 
Photo from https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2017/08/09/ancient-corn-genome-unlock-secrets-crop-diversity-adaptation/.

Source 2
Primary Source
Water Management System in Mesopotamia
Used sometime between 6000 BCE to 1000 BCE.
Photo taken in 2017.
Aerial photography and scanning is one of the best ways for archeologists to find hidden civilizations. When your on the ground it's hard to see things buried in the earth around you. When in the air ground imperfections form patterns which lead to discoveries. Below is a recent discovery! To the left is a photograph from a plane. To the right is a diagram showing the ancient irrigation system created by Mesopotamians. Nowaywees site is a dig site of ancient farm houses. Crevasse splay is the ancient farm. Farms like these led to food surplus in nearby towns. 
Image from: https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wat2.1230

Source 3
Secondary Source
2-Minute Time Machine - Bread
Video made by Getty Museum.

Required

Write an essay to prove or disprove a claim using source documents.
Make sure your essay states a claim, uses evidence, explains evidence, and links the evidence/explanation to the claim.
Rubric (How you will be graded for this essay.)
4 - I wrote an essay with a claim, used evidence, explained evidence, and linked evidence to the claim.
3 - I wrote an essay with a claim, used evidence, and explained evidence.
2 - I wrote an essay with a claim and used evidence.
1 - I wrote an essay with a claim.
0 - I did not write an essay.

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