The Neolithic Revolution is the first agricultural revolution—the transition from nomadic hunting and gathering communities and bands, to agriculture and settlement.

It occurs in various independent prehistoric human societies 10–12 thousand years ago.The term refers to both the general time period over which these initial developments take place and the subsequent changes to Neolithic human societies which either result from, or are associated with, the adoption of early farming techniques, crop cultivation, and the domestication of animals.The Neolithic Revolution is notable primarily for developments in social organization and technology.

The changes most often associated with the Neolithic Revolution include an increased tendency to live in permanent or semi-permanent settlements, a corresponding reduction in nomadic lifestyles, the concept of land ownership, modifications to the natural environment, the ability to sustain higher population densities, an increased reliance on vegetable and cereal foods in the total diet, a less egalitarian society, nascent "trading economies" using surplus production from increasing crop yields, and the development of new technologies.

The relationship of these characteristics to the onset of agriculture, to each other, their sequence and even whether some of these changes are supported by the available evidence remains the subject of much academic debate, and seems to vary from place to place.