The invention of the plow about five or six thousand years ago once again changed social life forever. Compared with hoes and digging sticks, using animals to pull plows is immensely efficient. As the earth was plowed, more nutrients were returned to the soil, making the land more productive. The food surplus of the agricultural revolution was unlike anything ever seen in human history. It allowed even more people to engage in activities other than farming. In this new agricultural society, people developed cities and what is popularly known as “culture,” activities such as philosophy, art, music, literature, and architecture. Accompanied by the inventions of the wheel, writing, and numbers, the changes were so profound that this period is sometimes referred to as “the dawn of civilization.” When some people managed to gain control of the growing surplus of resources in agricultural societies, inequality became a fundamental feature of life in society. To protect their expanding privileges and power, this elite surrounded itself with armed men. This small group even levied taxes on others, who now had become their subjects. This concentration of resources and power, along with the oppression of people not in power, was the forerunner of the state. CS
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 22:51:04 +0000
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