why is the neolithic agricultural revolution considered to be a turning point in history
Neolithic Revolution
The traditional view is that agricultural food production supported a denser population , which in turn supported larger sedentary communities , the accumulation of goods and tools , and specialization in diverse forms of new labor . The development of larger societies led to the development of different means of decision making and to governmental organization . Food surpluses made possible the development of a social elite who were not otherwise engaged in agriculture , industry or commerce , but dominated their communities by other means and monopolized decision - making . Jared Diamond ( in The World Until Yesterday ) identifies the availability of milk and / or cereal grains as permitting mothers to raise both an older ( e.g. 3 or 4 year old ) child and a younger child concurrently , whereas this was not possible previously . The result is that a population can significantly more - rapidly increase its size than would otherwise be the case , resources permitting . 
The traditional view is that agricultural food production supported a denser population , which in turn supported larger sedentary communities , the accumulation of goods and tools , and specialization in diverse forms of new labor . The development of larger societies led to the development of different means of decision making and to governmental organization . Food surpluses made possible the development of a social elite who were not otherwise engaged in agriculture , industry or commerce , but dominated their communities by other means and monopolized decision - making . Jared Diamond ( in The World Until Yesterday ) identifies the availability of milk and / or cereal grains as permitting mothers to raise both an older ( e.g. 3 or 4 year old ) child and a younger child concurrently , whereas this was not possible previously . The result is that a population can significantly more - rapidly increase its size than would otherwise be the case , resources permitting .
The traditional view is that agricultural food production supported a denser population , which in turn supported larger sedentary communities , the accumulation of goods and tools , and specialization in diverse forms of new labor . The development of larger societies led to the development of different means of decision making and to governmental organization . Food surpluses made possible the development of a social elite who were not otherwise engaged in agriculture , industry or commerce , but dominated their communities by other means and monopolized decision - making . The result is that a population can significantly more - rapidly increase its size than would otherwise be the case , resources permitting .
The traditional view is that agricultural food production supported a denser population , which in turn supported larger sedentary communities , the accumulation of goods and tools , and specialization in diverse forms of new labor . The development of larger societies led to the development of different means of decision making and to governmental organization . Food surpluses made possible the development of a social elite who were not otherwise engaged in agriculture , industry or commerce , but dominated their communities by other means and monopolized decision - making . The result is that a population can significantly more - rapidly increase its size than would otherwise be the case , resources permitting .