The Neolithic Period

Technological History. Archaeologists often divide the neolithic period, the latter part of what used to be called the Stone Age, into pre- and post ceramic, with reference to when ceramics came into production (88—92). Actually, there are occasions of pre-ceramic pyrotechnology, such as in the case of the fifth millenium BC mideastem plaster production (93). So far the eadiest occurrence of ceramics is in the 28th millenium BC in Eastern Europe, although here the technique was not used for the production of vessels but of figurines (94). 

Figure 8.10 Carbon isotope ratios in bone collagen plotted against radiocarbon ages for 183 British Mesolithic and Neolithic humans from coastal (within 10 km of modern coastline squares) and inland sites (crosses). The sharp change in carbon isotope ratio at around 5200 radiocarbon years BP is interpreted as a shift from a marine diet to one dominated by terrestrial protein. This coincides with the onset of the Neolithic period in Britain. (Reproduced from Richards et al. 2003, with permission of Nature Publishing Group and the first author.)...

In the Neolithic period, however, a new type of religion formed based on the needs of the village. People started to perform group rituals guided by priests. Priests were the first alternative to the shamans, and sometimes they were rivals for authority. In contrast to the intuitive spontaneous visions of the shamans, the priests worshiped specific gods and told stories about them called myths, which remained basically the same over time. The type of magic that the priests practiced made use of elaborate props and clothing and formal ceremonies that... 

Circa 10,000 Humans enter the Neolithic Period, or New Stone Age, begin to farm, and live in villages shamans adapt to the needs of farmers and new religions develop with priests who practice ceremonial magic. 

For hundreds of thousands of years man was limited in his activity to the immediate vicinity of available water sources, thus restricting his territorial distribution. The invention of water carrying vessels increased the radius of travel a little. With the passage to animal husbandry and farming in the Neolithic period, some 7000 years ago, the demand for water increased. This was the background for the development of the large river civilizations in... 

More than 150 specialists have been studying all aspects of the Iceman and his equipment. Over 300 books and scientific articles have been published about the Iceman as of 2008. One of the more interesting investigations involves the axe it is almost pure copper. When first discovered, the axe was assumed to be bronze because early copper axes were unknown in this part of Europe. The Iceman was thought to belong to the Bronze Age. Soon, however, radiocarbon dates from the body and the equipment the Iceman carried were obtained and indicated an age of around 4300 BC, in the Neolithic period, long before the Bronze Age. 

The raw material of the axe was studied to leam about its composition. A non-destructive X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the ax showed this material to be almost pure copper, not bronze at all. This new metal documents the widespread use of copper in Europe during the latter half of the Neolithic period. Copper was being mined and smelted in several areas of eastern Europe by this time and traded as far north as Scandinavia. 

The autopsy of the body ofthe Ice-Man was not only the much-belated Investigation of a criminal case, but it also led to valuable information concerning the living conditions of men in the Neolithic period. 

The evolution of materials engineering over the centuries was perhaps less spectacular than the evolution of structures but certainly more important for human civilization. In archaeology some periods are named after the mastery or universality of particular materials used for weapons, tools and jewellery the Neolithic period - the last part of the Stone Age - was followed by the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. 

During the Neolithic Period (the New Stone Age) humans gradually undertook domestication of animals, cultivation of crops, production of pottery, and building of towns, such as Jericho, by around 7000 BC. Copper tools and carved ivory found in Palestine are believed to date between 5000-4000 BC. Bronze was used by the Canaanites as early as 3000 BC and walls of their towns were fortified with a plaster-like material. 

Landscape and Human Interaction in the Middle Habur Drainage from the Neolithic Period to the Bronze Age. In Espace natural, espace habite en Syrie du Nord (l(P-2 millenaires av.J.-C.), edited by M. Fortin and O. Aurenche, 43-54. Toronto The Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies. 

From archaeological evidence, it is believed that not more than about 20 minerals were known in the palaeolithic age and that this number had increased to about 40 by the end of the neolithic period. With such small numbers, classification was obviously of little relevance, but the number of known minerals appears to have increased almost logarithmically with time, and hence classification is now essential to an understanding of the minerals themselves. Nomenclature, however, has never been systematized, and very few mineral names give an indication of their chemical composition or refer to other attributes most are derived from the locality of origin or commemorate famous people, particularly mineralogists. 

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