Discuss how agriculture changed the course of human development in terms of cities, government and military power.

The development of agriculture was a turning point in the human experience. The transformation from hunter/gatherer groups to agriculturally-based societies occurred during the transition from the Paleolithic era to the Neolithic era. 
The Paleolithic (2.5mil–20,000 years ago) was marked by the use of stone tools, which is why it was once called the “stone age.”
The Neolithic (circa 9,000–800 BCE), is marked by the use of bronze tools and weapons, which led to advancements in farming along with the domestication of crops and animals. Humans no longer had to depend on hunting and gathering for their main source of food. Instead, humans intentionally began planting crops, which meant that the group had to remain in a specific location. Due to these changes in lifestyle, the human population exploded, mainly due to the increase of food supplies. With more time on their hands, humans focused on other endeavors, such as labor specialization and city planning. In order to develop cities or city-states, a labor force needed to be organized and directed by some form of leading authority. This labor force would construct roads, markets, water/sanitation systems, and monuments, which would expand the power of a city-state. As this happened, a military force became necessary in order to protect the people and their accumulated riches from greedy invaders.