Final answer:
Prof. Griffin's class touched on the adaptation of farming in certain Neolithic villages, a transition that marked the inception of agriculture around the world. This Neolithic Revolution independently occurred in various regions, leading to larger, more stable populations and significant social, economic, and religious changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
In class, Prof. Griffin argued that farming was probably adapted at the beginning of the Neolithic by certain villages that recognized its potential benefits despite its challenges. The process of transitioning from hunting and gathering to agriculture, or the Neolithic Revolution, didn't happen overnight or at a single location. It occurred independently and at different times across various regions of the world. Each of these regions domesticated different types of plants that grew naturally there, which had been gathered in their wild form for many thousands of years before they were deliberately cultivated.
The Neolithic period marked one of the most significant transformations in modern human history. It allowed for larger populations due to stable food sources and created a surplus that could be stored, though it also led to less diverse diets and a hierarchical restructuring of society. The development of agriculture triggered changes such as land ownership concepts, social organization, wealth forms, and religious practices.
Farming was first adopted in the Near East, with the deliberate planting of grains and the domestication of animals, leading to significant changes like the specialization of labor and the development of priestly classes. The evidence of agriculture has been unearthed in various parts of the world, revealing the widespread nature of this agricultural transition in Neolithic societies.