Turning Points

Throughout history there have been many turning points that have changed the course of history. Two such turning points are the Neolithic revolution and the Renaissance. The Neolithic revolution marked the beginning of organized civilizations. It allowed people to settle down and give up their nomadic lifestyles. The renaissance made people think for themselves and valued reason. The Neolithic revolution and the Renaissance both changed the course of history.
The Neolithic revolution began with the discovery of farming. Farming allowed for an end to a nomadic lifestyle and the start of civilizations. People could now build permanent settlements, instead of migrating place to place looking for food and resources. As farming developed it led to a surplus of food. This led to the building of larger communities and specialized jobs. As these communities grew it became necessary an organized government to be formed. These communities soon became thriving civilizations. The first civilizations began near the fertile banks of rivers such as the Nile. Farming allowed for the development of the first civilizations and the development of their cultures. For example in Egypt the flooding of the Nile was predictable, this allowed for the Egyptians to develop systems such as irrigation to help with farming. This led Egyptians to believe in an afterlife where they will be in fields of food. However in the Fertile Crescent the floods were unpredictable this led to crop failures and made them believe that the afterlife would be no better. The renaissance introduced a major change to the lifestyles of the Europeans. Before the renaissance they were living in the middle ages. In the middle ages they lived in terrible conditions, there was little hygiene and disease was everywhere. The Renaissance brought a change in the way people thought. They no longer believed everything they were told. They thought through logic and through reason. Many famous artists, sculptors and