Neolithic Society: Villages, Pottery, and Social Organization

Sedentism favored the emergence of the first permanent villages, made up of dwellings built from durable materials such as mudbrick, stone, or wood. Sites such as Jericho, in present-day Palestinian territory, already show defensive stone structures by around 8,000 BCE, including a wall and a tower, suggesting a considerable capacity for collective labor organization. Çatalhöyük, in Anatolia (Turkey), is another notable example of a large Neolithic settlement, with densely clustered dwellings and a mixed economy of farming, herding, and craft production.