Ways of the World: Chapter One: Breakthroughs to Agriculture

Beginning the reading from Chapter One, breakthroughs to agriculture, Strayer introduces the key contrasting concept from Paleolithic to Neolithic Era being the breeding of distinct animals along with the cultivation of particular crops. Transitioning from era to era created the foundation for the rest of history to follow, the "Neolithic (New Stone Age) Revolution" or "Agricultural Revolution" brought rise to growing population, animal-borne illnesses, civilization, writing/literature and more. A great highlight from this transitional time was humankind's domestication of other living things, which can later be recognized as unconsciously directing the process of evolution.
In the reading, it is stated that many researchers and scientists have still questioned the fact as to why the Agricultural Revolution took so long to unfold. I believe that the revolution coincides with the end of the Ice Age, which would cause many crops to be wither and too fragile to manage. Although the Neolithic Era brought rise to great advancements for the time, it can also be acknowledged that the gather hunters were able to cause such change due to their long history of already having to work with the environment in order to survive.