How did the Neolithic Revolution set the stage for early civilizations?

The Neolithic Revolution was the time in history when
people first started to practice agriculture.  At this point, they started to
domesticate plants and animals.  This changed the world forever and led to the the
creation of civilizations.

The beginnings of agriculture
lead to civilization in a number of ways:

• They
  produce more food, allowing some people to become artisans, merchants, government
  officials, etc -- all the things you need to have a
  civilization.


• They allow people to live together in dense
  towns and cities.   These are necessary for civilization and they also cause a need for
  governments to keep the peace between all these unrelated
  people.


• They (in some places) give rise to a need for
  public works like irrigation projects.  This also makes governments more
  necessary.