SOCIAL STUDIES TERM 2 GRADE 8

• The Agricultural Revolution began almost 12,000 years ago and was dubbed the “Neolithic Revolution”.
• The Agricultural Revolution began in the Middle East, specifically in Turkey, western Iran, and the Levant.
• Traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyles were swept aside in favor of permanent settlements and a reliable food supply during the Agricultural Revolution.
• Because of agriculture, cities and civilization grew during the Agricultural Revolution.
• The oldest domesticated products during the Agricultural Revolution were Wheat and goats.
• Products like peas, lentils, olive trees, horses, and grapevines were also domesticated during the Agricultural Revolution.
• 90 percent of the calories that feed humanity come from the handful of plants that our ancestors domesticated during the Agricultural Revolution.
• Places in the Middle East, China, and Central America had their own agricultural revolutions.
• There is no evidence that people became more intelligent with time during the Agricultural Revolution.
• Foragers knew the secrets of nature long before the Agricultural Revolution.
• Rather than heralding a new era of easy living, the Agricultural Revolution left farmers with lives generally more difficult and less satisfying than those of foragers.
• The Agricultural Revolution certainly enlarged the sum total of food at the disposal of humankind, but the extra food did not translate into a better diet or more leisure.
• Rather, it translated into population explosions and pampered elites during the Agricultural Revolution.
• Average farmer worked harder than the average forager, and got a worse diet in return during the Agricultural Revolution.
• Cities are population centers that are notably larger and more organized than towns or villages and that support the other features of civilizations.
• Organized Government is a type of government that coordinates large-scale projects such as food production or construction, establishes laws, and organizes defense systems.
• Complex Religions are systems of religious beliefs usually include rituals and worship of one or more gods and/or goddesses.
• Job Specialization is a system in which there are different types of jobs and each worker focuses on one particular type.
• Social Classes are ranked groups within society that are determined by job or economic standing.
• Art and Architecture are various types of artwork and buildings express the talents, beliefs, and values of people in a society.
• Public Works are large-scale and often costly projects that benefit the city and its people.
• Writing is a structured writing system used initially by governments or religious leaders to record important information.
• The Silk Road was a Chinese trading route that connected China with Rome
• It originated from the Xi'an region during the Han Dynasty
• The east terminal of the Silk Road was in China
• Origins of the Silk Road:

  • It began in northern central China in Xi'an
  • Caravans were used for trading
  • The caravan stretched from the great walls of China to Turkey in the west
  • Goods were shipped to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea
• Goods traded along the Silk Road included silver, wool, gold, and silk

  • Rome and other Christian kingdoms were involved in trading
  • Chinese merchants exported goods to Western buyers
  • China kept the secret of harvesting silk
• Ideas exchanged along the Silk Road:

  • Religion was important, with early Assyrian Christians spreading their faith in Central Asia and China
  • China was exposed to Buddhism from India
• Scholars believe that the Bubonic plague (Black Plague) was spread to Europe through the Silk Road