WHERE DID WE COME FROM?
Folk Stories Mesopotamia: Gods fighting Made from blood Serve victors
India: Gods sacrifice giant (Purusha) Created man – caste system
Western Asia Bible: Genesis 6 days God’s image Above all else
Evolution Mid 1700s – scientists saw similarities between species Studied metamorphosis Breeding Charles Darwin – early 1800s Related vs. separate creatures Natural selection Survival based on ability to live in the environment Not based on morals/ethics
Hominid Walk up right Discoveries throughout world: Skulls, burial grounds Leakey’s in Tanzania (E. Africa) 1974 Foot prints – ape-like, but walked upright Opposable thumbs 1.75M years old
Lucy in Ethiopia 1974 Donald Johanson Complete skeleton 3.5M years old
Homo Sapiens Sapiens Human wise wise 120k yrs ago South Africa Skulls like ours Modified brain structure
7 characteristics of man: Survived among all other 5m years of hominids Migrated Temporary settlements (bases for hunting and gathering) Stone tools with improvements 25K BCE – cave paintings and stone sculptures More sophisticated language 10-15K BCE domesticated plants and animals: agriculture developed
Why are artifacts found across the globe? 1) Evolved independently in each area 2) Evolved in 1 area and migrated Response to ecological changes Adapted to areas that they moved to
Where were the early people? Africa: Nile China: Huang He India: Indus Western Asia/Mesopotamia: Tigris and Euphrates Central America/Mexico Peru
Rivers, warm (equator), fertile earth
Why move? Gatherers – farming Hunters – domestication Growing populations: permanent settlements Specialization Trade Weather patterns
Adaptations Climate Available resources Growing populations Food sources Water
Stone Age Fire Tools Language Paleolithic: 2.5m to 8000 BCE Neolithic: 8000-3000 BCE Polished stone tools Pottery Agriculture
Agrarian Societies Crash Course Guns, Germs and Steel Episode 1