The Great Leap Forward of the late Paleolithic opened up doors of opportunity for people. About 11,000 years ago and accompanying the migration of modern humans into all areas of the world, people began to manipulate their environment to greater and greater degrees. One of the earliest signs of the manipulation of plants were special grinding stones such as manos (hand stones) and metates (grinding bases) as we find in the American Southwest.

Below is a sickle made out of bone that was found in Kebara cave. It is razor sharp and was used to harvest wild plants.

Man's capacity to manipulate the environment led to decreased mobility and eventually sedentism (living in a permanent village.) Some of the first settled lifeways emerged in Japan in a coastal foraging and fishing culture known as Jomon. Jomon people were the first to make ceramic (pottery) vessels. Elsewhere, sites such as Star Carr in England illustrate decreased need to move on a seasonal basis.

Ultimately people fully domesticated plants and animals in great variety making them dependent upon man. The spread of settlements of farming and pastoral groups led to further changes. Man built permanent settlements by about 8,000 years ago. Sites such as Banpo in China, Scara Brae in England, and Spirit Cave in Thailand illustrate a more settled existence where moving was not necessary.

In the Middle East, the Natufian culture arose about 11,000 years ago and sites such as Catal Huyuk and Jericho arose as centers of interaction. Communal lifeways began to change with emerging social and political organizations. Record keeping became important as trade and exchange emerged as important aspects of life. Initially, clay tokens were used to keep track of commercial activities, but that was improved upon and writing using symbols for sounds eventually evolved.