Characteristics of Civilization Unit 1

Unit Essential Question How does one characterize a civilization?

Lesson Essential Question How does prehistory differ from history?

Vocabulary Archaeology – the study of artifacts or remains of past human life Anthropology – the study of the origin and development of humans Prehistory - the period of time before the invention of writing. Civilization - a time when people progressed culturally and began to live in cities. Migrate - make your way; move to a new place. Domesticate - Tame Specialization - the development of occupations Code of Law – a written set of laws Polytheistic- belief in more than one god Monotheistic- belief in only one god

Geography! Geography is the study of the earth and of the ways people live and work on it Geography helps explain why people live the way they do and the influence it had on how civilizations developed

Five Themes of Geography: Location Location: Where a place is located on the earth. Relative location is the location of a place in relation to other places. Absolute location is the exact location of a place Relative Location: Harrisburg is west of Philadelphia, east of Pittsburgh, and along the Susquehanna River in PA Absolute Location: No other place is located where Harrisburg is found on the earth

Five Themes of Geography: Place Place can be identified by its Physical Characteristics: Climate, mountains, animals, bodies of water, etc. and Human Characteristics: Language, population, jobs, etc. Nationalism: Feelings of pride and loyalty for one’s country Economics: The way the world’s resources are distributed Government: Systems by which people rule and control a civilization

Five Themes of Geography: HEI Human/Environmental Interaction: This is how people use, adapt, or change their environment Building irrigation systems for farming is an example of how people have changed their environment

Five Themes of Geography: Movement Movement: Movement centers on how people and places are connected through travel and transportation systems Cars, trucks, planes, trains, and ships have transformed the way goods and people travel around the globe today

Five Themes of Geography: Regions Regions: Geographers have defined various types of regions around the world. These have been set based on human and physical characteristics Physical Characteristics: The Mojave Desert is a dry desert region in the Southwestern United States. This region is identified by its physical geography Human Characteristics: French is a common spoken language in Quebec, Canada. This is a region of a country that is identified by a common language

The World’s Continents and Oceans

World Geography Using Your Skills! 1. Kilometers is used in most countries (Metric System) 2. Europe is the second smallest continent in the world 3. Antarctica and Africa almost equal the size of Asia and so does North and South America 4. The chart compares the size of the continents 5. The chart could be organized by continent size

Timelines Activity Think of a timeline as a number line with years

Which Years Came First? Use the timeline below!

How Long Ago? How Long Ago? A.D. 1066 was 948 years 3000 B.C. was 5,014 years ago 56 B.C. was 2,070 years ago A.D. 3 was 2,011 years ago 1884 A.D. was 130 years ago

Prehistory vs. Civilization Why It’s Important Most archaeologists believe people have lived on the earth for millions of years. Define prehistory- the period of time before the invention of writing. Prehistory lasted until about five thousand years ago when people learned how to write. Through the use of artifacts, archeologists have traced the milestones that paved the way from prehistory to the rise of civilization, a time when people progressed culturally and began to live in cities.

The Paleolithic Age Although there were no written records during prehistory, scientists have learn a great deal about prehistoric people. Many scientists believe that until about 900,000 years ago people only lived on the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa. Due to climatic changes, people were able to migrate, or make their way, around the desert of northern Africa and across land bridges. Scientists call the first age in which people lived in the Paleolithic Age, or Old Stone Age. It lasted from about 2.3 million years, until 10,000 years ago.

During this period, people obtained their food by hunting and gathering. People in the Paleolithic Age were concerned with Obtaining Food Making Tools Making Fire Seeking Shelter Making Clothing Developing Language Two types of early people were Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons.

The Neolithic Age In the Neolithic or New Stone Age, about 8000 B. C., people change from food gatherers to food producers. Over several thousand years they began to obtain most of their food from farming. This brought about such great changes in the way they lived that experts call the beginning of farming the Neolithic Revolution.

Farmers and Herders Two important discoveries brought on the Neolithic Revolution. One was learning to grow food. The other was learning to herd animals. Scientists believe agriculture developed independently in different parts of the world. People probably learned they could herd animals when a hunting band built fences to enclose a herd of wild animals they had chased into a ravine. Soon captured animals began to lose their fear of people and became domesticated, or tamed, and the hunters became herders. The Neolithic Revolution greatly increased people’s food supplies. With more food available, the population, or number of people, began to grow.

Early Villages Once people began to produce food, they were able to settle in one place. The earliest known villages in the world have been found in Southwestern Asia. Two of the oldest are Jericho in present-day Israel, which dates back to about 8,000 B. C., and Abu Hureyra in present-day Syria, which was established about 500 years later. Another early village is Catal Hüyük located in present-day Turkey. Archeologists know a great deal about Catal Hüyük because it was struck by a fire that blackened rather than destroyed wooden and cloth objects. Evidence shows the houses in Catal Hüyük were made of sun-dried mud brick As protection against attack, the houses in this village had two or three rooms and no doors. Among the houses stood courtyards with large ovens for baking bread.

Specialization A result of increased food supplies was specialization, or the development of occupations. As fewer people were needed to produce food, they became potters, weavers, and metal workers. Specialization was aided by a number of developments. People learned to make pottery by baking clay. People learned to weave cloth. People also learned to work metals.

Government Another development of Neolithic times was village government. It was more complex than government in earlier times due to land ownership and the disputes that arose because of land. To keep order in Neolithic villages, a single chief was chosen.

Religion Experts believe that the chiefs of most Neolithic villages were also priests. At first, Neolithic people prayed to the forces of nature that they saw around them. After a time, they created gods and goddesses to represent these forces. Archeologists believe that more elaborate religious customs and ceremonies appeared at this time.

Characteristics of Civilization Social Structure

Social Structure A system of levels in society. This can be economic (jobs and wealth) or social (popularity). As jobs became specialized so did the status and needs of certain individuals. The need for a knowledgeable and educated religious leader was more respected than an unskilled worker. Herders were needed and respected for the food, while masons were needed for building. The slave was on the lowest rung of the social ladder warriors and kings were on top.

Characteristics of Civilization Government and Laws

Government and Laws A group of people who keep law and order and make laws. As cities developed and expanded, the food supply and irrigation systems needed to be maintained. Governments, such as councils or religious leaders, began to oversee the business and existence of the cities.

Characteristics of Civilization Religion

Religion A set of beliefs, usually in a god or gods, together with forms of worship such as holidays, prayer services, and rituals. Religious leaders would conduct elaborate ceremonies to appease the gods (polytheism) and insure a bountiful harvest. Floods and droughts were blamed on the gods’ anger so rituals were conducted in the temples.

Characteristics of Civilization Language

Language Records were needed to keep accounts on trade goods and food storage. Writing was needed because the information became too great. In addition, one needed to express more complex ideas such as "belief" and "social order" where pictures and words simply would not suffice.

Characteristics of Civilization Arts and Literature

Arts and Literature This expressed the beliefs and values of a civilization. Different styles were developed and copied by societies. Often the art was used to impress visitors and people about the beauty and power of a king or a community.

Characteristics of Civilization Economics

Economics The system a community uses to produce and distribute goods.

Characteristics of Civilization Customs and Traditions

Customs and Traditions Customs are a practiced followed by people of a particular group or religion. Traditions are beliefs, values, stories and ways of doing things that are passed on to us from our ancestors. Examples of customs- Bar /Bat Mitzvahs, Quinceaneras Examples of Traditions- parades on July 4, Thanksgiving feasts, Christmas trees