Final answer:
The Neolithic towns of Jericho and Çatalhöyük produced an agricultural surplus to support a growing population, sustain religious ceremonies, engage in trade, and potentially for military expansion. The surplus facilitated social developments like religious specialization and trade of luxury items such as obsidian.
Step-by-step explanation:
The people of the Neolithic towns of Jericho and Çatalhöyük may have been motivated to produce an agricultural surplus due to several reasons. One significant factor was to support a growing population, which necessitated more food than hunting and gathering could supply. Another reason was the need to sustain non-farming activities such as religious ceremonies, trade for luxury goods, and military expansion. With agriculture, there was more chance for the division of labor, allowing some community members to focus on activities like religious practices or craftmaking, for example, bull sacrifices and creating frescoes in Çatalhöyük or constructing observatory walls in Jericho.
An agricultural surplus was also crucial for trade, which enabled settlements like Çatalhöyük to trade items such as woven goods, clay vessels, and obsidian. The commerce of such valuable commodities likely contributed to the wealth and sustainability of the towns. In Jericho, surplus agriculture might have united the community through the veneration of ancestors, while in Çatalhöyük, it could have supported the worship of a mother-deity. This surplus was not only necessary for daily sustenance but was central to the economic and religious life of the communities.