Final answer:
The Neolithic Revolution triggered a transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture, leading to permanent settlements, increased populations, and societal changes which laid the foundations for modern civilization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Neolithic Revolution is considered a turning point in global history because it marked the transition from a nomadic lifestyle of hunting and gathering to settling and engaging in agriculture. This profound change allowed for the development of permanent settlements, an increase in population sizes, and the beginning of social stratification due to the surplus of food which enabled labor specialization. The domestication of animals and the ability to grow and store crops led to significant changes in the daily lives of humans.
The adoption of agriculture demanded cooperation among groups and had a deep impact on the social structure. Settlements like Çatalhöyük show the earliest forms of organized human habitats, marked with the presence of art and communal construction, suggesting a more structured and interdependent society. Structures like Stonehenge, dating to approximately 3,000 BCE, encapsulate the advancements of this era.
As agricultural practices spread, they profoundly changed human interactions with the environment, aspects of wealth acquisition, and even spiritual practices. Notably, these developments did not occur uniformly across all societies; some maintained hunter-gatherer lifestyles, while others embraced the agricultural revolution, eventually leading to the rise of sophisticated Neolithic settlements and laying the foundations for modern human civilization.