Unit 1: Prehistory to river Valley civilizations

Prehistory Prehistory is the period before writing was invented to keep records We know about prehistory from archaeological and biological information

Prehistory Archaeologists- analyze artifacts Anthropologists- analyze human remains Artifacts include: tools, weapons, buildings, artwork, etc

Prehistory What do tools show us? What can bones tell us? They tell us if the tools were used for weapons or hunting. Bones can tell us where a person lived, what they ate, and how they died. Think about what someone would know about you if they went through your trash! Stop for discussion……what would a pizza box look like to someone who has never seen one! What about cell phones?

Prehistory How do we know how old something is? Method What we learn from it Radio-Carbon Dating (Half life/C-14) Accurately dates up to 50,000 years old through release of carbon Thermoluminescence Measures objects up to 200,000 years old thought the light electrons it gives off Biological (DNA, Blood) We can trace ancestry to the societies of prehistory

Australopithecines were the first HOMINIDS (creatures that walk upright) to make stone tools. Homo erectus marks the next stage. These hominids used larger and more varied tools and were the first to move to parts of Europe and Asia. They also made fires deliberately. Homo sapiens emerged 200,000 -100,000 years ago. There were two sub groups: Neanderthals and Homo Sapien Sapiens. The Neanderthals died out. Homo Sapien Sapiens were the first group to look like us. All humans today belong to this subgroup.

Prehistory Homo Erectus was the first to leave Africa. Why did it take tens of thousands of years to spread all over the world? Groups of these people moved beyond their old hunting ground at a rate of 2-3 miles per generation. This is called “Out of Africa” theory of how we settled the world.

Vocabulary

Paleolithic to Neolithic

Paleolithic and Neolithic The act of cooking food helped our brains to develops bc our bodies werent using all the calories to digest raw food (spleen!-left over organ)

Paleolithic to Neolithic Meso Neo “Old Stone Age” “Middle Stone Age” “New Stone Age” Making and Using Stone tools Using fire to cook food Carved objects out of wood Hunter/ Gathers Stored food for later use Farming Tools: spears, bows/arrows, fishhooks Domestication of the Dog Domestication and Herding of animals NOMADIC- moved to follow where the food was Begin staying near water Permanent farming settlements Egalitarian- men and women found food Pottery and Cave paintings Houses, places of worship, specialized jobs, tombs

Paleolithic to Neolithic Cave paintings were probably a part of a ritual for a successful hunt. What is a function of art in general? Learn from art Pleasure from experiencing beauty

Neolithic Revolution At the end of the last Ice Age (8000BC) ,there was a shift from hunting and gathering to systematic agriculture. Systematic agriculture means planting crops and domesticating (taming) animals for FOOD, CLOTHING, WORK The ability to acquire food regularly gave humans greater control over their environment and made it possible to give up being nomads

Neolithic Revolution Agriculture gave rise to permanent settlements. One was Jericho, in Palestine. The largest was Catal Huyuk, in present-day Turkey. Agriculture developed all over the world between 8000 and 5000 BC Mesoamericans grew beans, squash, and corn

Neolithic Revolution Catal Huyuk had evidence of 12 products that were grown along with the widespread domestication of animals. Because of the increased food production and storage, people had more food than needed ( SURPLUS ). This allowed others to work as artisans making things such as jewelry and weapons.

Neolithic Revolution What were some advantages of the Neolithic Revolution? What were some disadvantages of the Neolithic Revolution? Link is in the title Ad: more food, more pop, food surplus Dis: farming is hard, bad for environment

What makes the United States a Civilization?

Characteristics of a Civilization As food from farming became abundant, more people would live in cities. Characteristics of a Civilization Growing numbers of people made food production a central concern, and led to practices, such as irrigation. The organization required for such projects led to governments. All of the new civilizations developed religions to explain the forces of nature and roles in the world. To win the gods favor, priests supervised rituals, which made them important in early civilizations. Cities Government Religion Social structure Writing Art A new social structure appeared based on economic power. Rulers, priests, and warriors dominated and below them were farmers and artisans. At the bottom was a slave class. Rulers, priests, merchants, and artisans used writing to keep records. Architects built temples and pyramids as places of worship, sacrifice, or burial. Art also portrayed rulers and gods.