The transition from the Stone Age to early civilization was marked by the domestication of animals, the manufacture of pottery and cloth, and many other advances that let humans begin to win control over their environment.  These changes, called the Neolithic Revolution, occurred in various places around the world between 10,000 and 3000 BC. Central and South America, Central Europe, and the Middle East went through this phase between about 10,000 to 8000 BC.  East and Southeast Asia and Western Europe went through their Neolithic Revolution between 6000 and 3000 BC.  The actual dates of these transitions depend upon the definition of civilization being used; consequently, it is difficult to precisely place the beginning of civilization.

Things previously ignored became important as man spent more of his time planning his actions and working with others.  Husbandry required people to spend time tending herds, studying predatory animals and local terrain, and finding suitable grazing locations.  Farming required that people learn about the seasons and how to tend the various crops they grew.

As knowledge grew, inquisitiveness did not stop with the task at hand. People learned how to tell the seasons and directions by the position of the stars and the sun, but no one knew what caused the change in seasons.  The sun, moon, and stars played an important role in Neolithic man’s estimation of time and seasons, which eventually created a personal attachment that approached veneration.  Priests used this ignorant reverence of the sun, moon, and stars to deify these bodies, supplanting the ancient totem animal spirits.  The wonder people experienced in a world full of mystery was projected into the religions they developed.