People no longer had to spend all their time hunting and gathering. They had time for new things. Lots of new things. With the agricultural revolution in full swing, communities advanced quickly. Human progress included big changes in technology, communications, religion, jewelry, art, and self-expression.
The agricultural revolution gave people many new technologies. For example, better tools such as plows made farming easier. Boats became more advanced. So did weapons. People improved clothing, sewing, rope-making, and even storage containers. They started smelting, or melting, metals to create tools, containers, and weapons. Because they needed more metals, they started mining. At first, people smelted copper. Later, they added tin to copper to make bronze. Bronze was a stronger alloy, or mix of metals. That led to the Bronze Age, beginning about 3500 BCE. Still later, people smelted iron, which led to the Iron Age. It started about 1200 BCE.
