Major Neolithic Settlements

Why This Matters

The Neolithic Revolution wasn't just about farming—it fundamentally rewired human society. When you study these settlements, you're being tested on your understanding of sedentism, social stratification, surplus production, and the emergence of specialized labor. These sites demonstrate how the shift from foraging to food production created the conditions for everything that followed: cities, writing, organized religion, and political hierarchies.

Don't just memorize dates and locations. Each settlement illustrates a specific concept about how human societies transformed. Ask yourself: What does this site reveal about the relationship between food production, population density, and social complexity? That's the thinking that earns you points on FRQs.

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Ritual Before Agriculture: Challenging the Traditional Narrative

Some sites suggest that complex social organization and monumental construction may have preceded widespread agriculture—flipping the traditional "farming leads to civilization" model on its head.

Göbekli Tepe, Turkey

• World's oldest known temple complex (c. 9600 BCE)—predates agriculture, suggesting ritual gatherings drove early cooperation
• Massive T-shaped stone pillars arranged in circles, carved with animal reliefs, required coordinated labor from multiple groups
• Challenges diffusionist models by showing that hunter-gatherers could organize complex construction projects without surplus grain

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Fortification and Defense: Early Urban Planning

The construction of walls and towers indicates not just architectural skill, but social organization capable of mobilizing labor for collective defense—a hallmark of emerging political authority.

Jericho, West Bank

• Oldest continuously inhabited city (c. 9000 BCE)—provides the longest archaeological sequence of settlement evolution
• Stone tower and walls represent the earliest known large-scale defensive architecture, implying organized leadership
• Early fig cultivation suggests deliberate plant management before cereal domestication became dominant

Tell es-Sultan, Jordan

• Ancient Jericho's tel (settlement mound)—layers dating to 10,000 BCE show continuous habitation and rebuilding
• Fortification systems evolved over millennia, demonstrating increasing investment in permanent defense
• Grain and legume cultivation evidence shows diversified agricultural strategies supporting growing populations

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Dense Habitation and Social Organization

High population density required new forms of social regulation—shared walls, communal spaces, and standardized housing reflect emerging norms for living together at scale.

Çatalhöyük, Turkey

• One of the largest Neolithic settlements (c. 7500 BCE)—up to 8,000 residents packed into a honeycomb of mud-brick houses
• No streets or ground-level doors—residents entered through roof hatches, suggesting strong communal identity and shared defense
• Burials beneath house floors indicate ancestor veneration and continuity of family residence over generations

Banpo, China

• Circular village layout (c. 4500 BCE)—houses arranged around a central communal area, reflecting collective social organization
• Yangshao culture pottery with distinctive painted designs shows regional artistic traditions and possible clan identification
• Pig domestication central to subsistence, demonstrating how different regions developed distinct agricultural packages

Ain Ghazal, Jordan

• Large population center (c. 7250–5000 BCE)—one of the biggest Neolithic settlements, spanning over 2,000 years
• Plastered human statues with striking eyes suggest ancestor cults or ritual practices tied to community identity
• Agricultural intensification supported dense populations but may have contributed to eventual environmental degradation

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Agricultural Innovation and Domestication Centers

These sites document the actual process of domestication—the genetic and behavioral changes in plants and animals that made surplus production possible.

Mehrgarh, Pakistan

• Key site for South Asian Neolithic (c. 7000 BCE)—documents the independent development of agriculture in the Indus region
• Wheat, barley, cattle, and sheep domestication shows the full "Neolithic package" emerging outside the Fertile Crescent
• Bead-making and pottery indicate craft specialization and long-distance trade networks reaching into Central Asia

Jarmo, Iraq

• Early Zagros Mountain farming village (c. 7000 BCE)—small but significant for documenting the spread of agriculture
• Domesticated emmer wheat and two-row barley alongside wild plant use shows the gradual transition process
• Mud-brick architecture and simple pottery represent the material culture of early farming communities

Çayönü, Turkey

• Transitional site (c. 7500 BCE)—shows the shift from hunting-focused to agriculture-focused subsistence
• Rectangular house plans replaced earlier circular structures, possibly reflecting changing household organization
• Evidence of social differentiation in burial practices suggests emerging inequality within the community

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Adaptation to Marginal Environments

Not all Neolithic settlements developed in fertile river valleys—some communities adapted agricultural and pastoral strategies to challenging landscapes.

Skara Brae, Scotland

• Remarkably preserved stone village (c. 3200 BCE)—buried in sand, preserving furniture, hearths, and drainage systems
• Stone-built houses with built-in beds and shelving show sophisticated domestic architecture adapted to treeless environment
• Mixed subsistence strategy—combined cattle herding, fishing, and limited grain cultivation in a harsh northern climate

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Quick Reference Table

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Self-Check Questions

1. Which two sites challenge the traditional narrative that agriculture preceded complex social organization, and what evidence supports this challenge?

2. Compare the architectural layouts of Çatalhöyük and Banpo. What do their differences suggest about regional variation in Neolithic social organization?

3. If an FRQ asked you to discuss independent centers of agricultural development, which sites would you use as evidence for regions outside the Fertile Crescent?

4. How do the burial practices at Çatalhöyük and the statues at Ain Ghazal both reflect the importance of ancestor veneration in Neolithic communities?

5. Contrast the environmental challenges faced by settlers at Skara Brae versus Jericho. How did each community adapt their subsistence strategies to their specific landscape?