Childe also coined the term "Neolithic Revolution" to describe the earlier process by which hunter-gatherer societies domesticated crops and animals and began a farming lifestyle.
Whereas previous archaeologists had concentrated on chronology and technology, Childe applied concepts and theories from the social sciences to interpret archaeological finds.
Childe first discussed the urban revolution in his 1936 book, Man Makes Himself,[1] and then in his 1950 article in the journal Town Planning Review[2] brought the concept to a much larger[citation needed] audience.
Scientists generally recognise this change,[4] which occurred independently in several parts of the world, as a significant development in human sociocultural evolution.
Although contemporary models for the origins of complex urban societies have progressed beyond Childe's original formulation,[5][6] there is general agreement[citation needed] that he correctly identified one of the most far-reaching social transformations[7] prior to the Industrial Revolution, as well as the major processes involved in the change.