The first crops

Over long ages, the Earth's climate has changed many times. At certain times it was very cold, and much of the Earth was covered with ice; such a time is called an Ice Age.

Later, when the climate warmed up, the ice partly melted. The water swelled the rivers and finally drained into the oceans. The last Ice Age lasted from over 100,000 (one lakh) years ago to about 12,000 years ago.

After that, life became easier for humans. In many parts of the world they began to settle down and grow cereals and grains. They also domesticated (tamed and kept) animals such as cattle and goats. This was a huge change: a hunter follows the food, but a farmer stays where the food is grown.

With more food, these communities grew in size and number, and often settled near rivers. Not only for the water, but also because the soil was more fertile there, which made growing crops easier. (You met that fertile soil in Chapter 3: sediments carried down from the mountains.)

The book then warns you about its own pictures. In its drawings of a rock shelter and a farming village, men and women are given certain jobs. These may look 'natural', but they are not necessarily accurate and do not cover all situations.

For instance, women may have helped prepare the colours for rock paintings, or done some of the painting themselves; men may have done some of the cooking or looked after children. We have only limited information, so think about such roles and discuss them in class. An illustration is somebody's guess, not evidence.