Agriculture from Prehistory to 600 BCE

Dogs were the earliest animal to be domesticated by human society. In the paleolithic era, before the establishment of the first cities and great civilizations, man and wolf were frequent collaborators - working together during hunting. From this partnership, and the domestication of wolves, emerged dogs.

Fire improved the diet of early humans. It allowed humans to cook meat as opposed to eating it raw, which killed dangerous bacteria that would have otherwise been present in the food. Fire also allowed humans to cook dry meat to preserve, creating a surplus of food that did not previously exist. Humans could also use fire to clear fields and improve fertility of land, allowing them to harvest more crops.

Horses were first domesticated on the great Eurasian steppes of Central Asia approximately six thousand years ago. The domestication of the horse had a profound impact on the nature of human development - particularly in terms of agriculture, transportation, and warfare.

Evidence suggests that elephants were first domesticated in India approximately three thousand years ago. The domestication of elephants led to elephants being used on the battlefield by armies in India and by the Carthaginians in North Africa.

Rice paddy farming is a form of intensive agriculture that developed in southeast Asia during the classical era and spread to China and India. Rice paddy farming provided the food to support a rapidly growing east and south Asian population.

The Neolithic agricultural revolution did entail political changes in human society, but the nation-state concept did not arise for another years.

Whereas prior human generations lived nomadic lifestyles, agriculture requires permanent settlements. The burgeoning human population, the result of a food surplus, settled into towns and villages where a segment of the population did not cultivate plants or animals but rather worked as artisans in a process of economic specialization.

The domestication of the ox, in many parts of the world, was a significant development. The strength of oxen allowed farmers to work the fields more effectively and provided a massive boost to the productive capabilities of society. In India and southeast Asia, the water buffalo was domesticated for the same purposes.

The Neolithic Revolution is another name for the Agricultural Revolution - when humans first established permanent agricultural settlements. It led to a surplus of food, which in turn allowed some individuals to pursue artistic or cultural work. It also led to the development of cities and of an organized writing system. Finally, it led to the emergence of political and social hierarchies as some people accumulated wealth and power.

The Paleolithic Era refers to the history of humanity before the Agricultural Revolution. Humans in Paleolithic societies used stone and wood tools, manipulated fire, and spoke to one another in rudimentary languages. The domestication of animals, however, did not take place until the Neolithic (Agricultural) Revolution.

Yu the Great is considered to be the (somewhat legendary) founder of the Xia Dynasty and of the Chinese state. Yu the Great might best be understood as a reforming bureaucrat. His state building efforts were primarily concentrated on combating and preventing the flooding of the Yellow River. In organizing the population to resist the advances of the seasonal floods, Yu helped found the Chinese state.