People had time for a lot of new things once they didn’t have to spend all their time hunting and gathering. With the agricultural revolution in full effect, communities advanced quickly. Huge changes in technology, communications, religion, jewelry, art, and self-expression were all part of human progress.
In the aftermath of the agricultural revolution, many new technologies came about. Better tools such as plows made farming easier, while boats and weapons became more sophisticated. People made advances in clothing, sewing, rope-making, and even storage containers. They started smelting, or melting, metals to create tools, containers, and weapons. Greater need for metals led people to start mining. At first, people smelted copper. Later, they added tin to copper to make bronze, 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, starting about 1200 BCE.
