Unit 2 Early Humans & The Rise of Civilizations

Priority Objectives 6.H.2.3 Explain how innovation and/or technology transformed civilizations, societies and regions over time. 6.G.1.1 Explain how the physical features and human characteristics of a place influenced the development of civilizations, societies and regions. 6.G.1.2 Explain the factors that influenced the movement of people, goods, and ideas and the effects of that movement on societies and regions over time. 6.G.1.4 Explain how and why civilizations, societies and regions have used, modified and adapted to their environments. 6.E.1.1 Explain how conflict, compromise, and negotiation over the availability of resources impacted the economic development of various civilizations, societies and regions

The Paleolithic Era-Early Man EQs: How does archaeology provide knowledge of early human life? What were the characteristics of life in the Paleolithic Era?

Defining the Time Paleolithic Period, also called the Old Stone Age 2,500,000 years ago to 10,000 years ago Hunter-gatherers Used chipped stone tools Lived in family based clans Nomadic lifestyles Used a spoken language

human-fossils/species/homo-sapiens

What’s Been Found Cave Art Tools & weapons made of stone & bone & probably wood

Spanish Cave Paintings

Cave Paintings from SE Asia and South America

Africa as a Starting Point Lucy: Found in Ethiopia by Donald Johanson & Maurice Taeib in The remains are 3.2 million years old. She is part of the Australopithecus Afarensis species.

The Qesem Cave Remains (teeth) found at Qesem (in Israel) in 2010 date back 200,000 to 400,000 years ago. This presents the possibility that man was spreading out faster than first thought.

The Great Migration EQs: What were the push/pull factors that influenced the movement of people throughout the world? What factors influenced the location of the earliest civilizations?

Climate Change & the Ice Age About 1.6 million years ago the world starting experiencing long periods of freezing weather called ice ages. This freezing weather cycled; & glaciers expanded & retreated exposing land that is underwater today. The Bering Strait was transformed into the land bridge called Beringia. Land bridges like these helped hominids spread around the world.

Adapting to New Environments As humans migrated around the world they adapted to new environments& varied resources. The adaptation process caused humans to develop some of the genetic variety that exists today.

RIVERS! The development of farming & permanent settlements depended on locating reliable rivers. Examples: In the Fertile Crescent there were the Tigris & Euphrates. In the Indus River Valley were the Indus, Ganges, & others.

The Neolithic Era EQs: What are the characteristics of the Neolithic Era? What did the religions of the early civilizations have in common? How were most of the early civilizations governed? How did the Neolithic Era improve the lives of humans?

Characteristics of the Time AKA the “New Stone Age.” 10,000 years ago Used polished or grinded hard stone tools Depended on domesticated plants & animals Settled in permanent villages Developed pottery & weaving

The Agricultural Revolution Occurred in the Neolithic Period Refers to the discovery of farming It took most groups 200 to 400 years to fully rely on farming for survival There are both positives & negatives to the discovery

Effects of the Agr. Rev. Better nutrition, population grew Permanent villages & domesticated plants The idea of land ownership evolved & people accumulated material goods so armies were created to conquer & take it Farmers could trade surplus food for anything else Codes of law developed Division of labor was created Women were in public more

Changes in Labor & Economies A division of labor occurs when each worker specializes in a particular task or job-trades began to develop Food surpluses & the division of labor resulted in economic changes. Traditional economies began to give way to more capitalistic one.

Metallurgy Eventually people began to use metal-first copper, then bronze (a mix of copper & tin) Bronze is stronger than copper The Stone Age then transitioned to the Bronze Age

Religion Stone Age people may have practiced animism-the belief that all things in nature have spirits. They may have also believed in life after death, because they buried their dead. As settlements became permanent people began to come up with creation stories & more organized rituals.

Management of Power Early governments probably formed because managing a growing population took a lot of planning. Often rulers controlled under the belief of Divine Right (having the blessing of the god(s)).

A Neolithic Example: Catal Huyuk A Neolithic settlement located in modern day Turkey Held people around 6000 BC These people grew barley, peas, & wheat; & raised sheep & goats They hunted wild cattle & fished in nearby rivers Traded with people as far away as the Red Sea

Otzi the Iceman Found in 1991 by hikers in Italy’s Otzal Alps Male; well-preserved in ice; testing showed that he was about 5300 years old Clothing made of three types of animal skin; wore leather shoes padded with grass; had a woven grass cape, a fur hat, a backpack, deerskin quiver with arrows, a flint dagger, & a copper bladed axe.