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Early Farming Communities

How farming changed the way people lived

Early Farming Communities

About 2000 years ago, Bantu-speaking people moved into Southern Africa bringing farming, ironworking and cattle. They grew crops (sorghum, millet), kept livestock and lived in settled villages. This changed the way people lived.
Example

Life in Early Farming Villages

• Houses: round huts made of wood, clay and thatch • Farming: grew sorghum, millet, pumpkins, beans • Livestock: cattle (very important for wealth), goats, sheep • Ironworking: made tools, weapons and ornaments • Trade: exchanged goods with other communities
Note

Remember

The move from hunter-gathering to farming was a major change in human history. Farming let people produce more food, grow in population and develop more complex societies.

Key Vocabulary

Farming communityA group of people who grow crops and keep animals
MigrateTo move from one area to settle in another
IronworkingThe skill of making tools and objects from iron
SettlementA place where people live together permanently

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