Beginnings of Civilization

Prehistory – period of time before the development of writing. History – the record of events since people first developed writing, about 5,000 years ago.

Before writing, people were unable to leave permanent records descriptions of other people or events written opinions, ideas, facts or stories After writing, people were able to leave

A historian is a person who researches, studies, and writes about the past, and is regarded as an authority on it.

Historians use sources to study the past Primary sources – original documents and objects which were created at the time under study Secondary sources – address or analyze events, people, works, or topics after the fact by someone without first-hand experience

Historians must treat evidence without bias (prejudice for or against someone or something) The historian must weigh the truthfulness of all accounts The historian must take the motives of historical actors into consideration

Examining Prehistory How can we learn anything about what happened before people learned to keep written records?

Anthropologists, such as archaeologists, paleontologists and other scientists work learn more about the past. Archeologists study surviving material remains of past human activities. Places where these materials are found are called archeological sites

Locating archeological sites Accident Remote Sensing Survey

Accident Often archaeologists hear about a site from people who came across it accidentally Farmers Hikers Construction crews Pilots

Remote Sensing Archaeologists can locate sites using remote sensing, such as ground-penetrating radar Remote sensing – tools and techniques that allow archaeologists (and others) to probe a site without physically disturbing it Remote sensing is non-invasive, saves time, and can cover a lot more surface area than traditional survey methods

Survey Another common way for archaeologists to find sites is through survey. Survey - Archaeologists actively search areas for sites in areas that were likely to support human populations Places that old records and maps indicated where past civilization once existed

Places that would likely be inhabited in ancient times, such as along rivers

Uncovering ancient settlements Excavation Archaeologists excavate ancient settlements to learn about the past

Excavate – remove earth carefully and systematically from (an area) in order to find buried remains. An excavation site is often called a “dig”

Archaeologists use specialized techniques Archaeologists use a great variety of tools for excavation, depending on the nature of the area in which they are working. The most common digging tools are picks, shovels and trowels.

Archaeologists must be careful, because many objects have been buried for hundreds of years and may be quite fragile

Excavation involves the recovery of several types of data from a site.

Fossils Fossils – preserved remains of animals and plants

Animal bones and plant remains left over from meals can tell us what people ate Human bones found in ancient cemeteries give us about health, including diseases and other concerns “Lucy” “radiocarbon dating”

Ecofacts Ecofacts – evidence for the local environment and resources being used such as snail shells, seeds, and butchered bones

Artifacts Artifacts – man made objects Archeological remains often include tools for hunting, farming, cooking, craft making, building houses or warfare

Recording the findings Archaeologists carefully record the location of each find, because the goal is to notice the relationships and connections between the objects Artifacts uncovered during an excavation are carefully collected, cleaned, labeled, recorded, and photographed, and then taken to a lab where they are analyze

Many known sites have been deliberately left unexcavated preserve them for future generations modern communities surround the sites

Fossils – preserved remains of plants and animals “Lucy” “radiocarbon dating” Artifacts – human made objects “Otzi the Iceman”

Ötzi the Iceman In 1991, two German hikers made an accidental discovery that gave archaeologists a firsthand look at the technology of early toolmakers Near the border of Austria and Italy, the hikers spotted the mummified body of a prehistoric traveler, preserved in ice for some 5,000 years

Archaeologists discovered several artifacts near the body of Otzi the Iceman Imagine that you part of a team of archaeologists and see how many of these artifacts you can correctly identify http://www.iceman.it/kids/en/11-14/selection.html

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Scientists examine excavated artifacts to learn about early people’s cultural behavior

Use page 6 in your textbook to complete the chart Common Practices Shared Understandings Social Organizations

Use page 6 in your textbook to complete the chart Common Practices Shared Understandings Social Organizations what people eat language family clothing and adornment symbols class and caste structure sports religious beliefs relationships between individual and community tools and technology values government social customs the arts economic system work political beliefs view of authority

Scientists believe that several of most impressive achievements in human history occurred during the Stone Age, a prehistoric period spanning nearly 2.5 million years

The Stone Age is typically divided into two eras… Old Stone Age known as the Paleolithic Age New Stone Age known as the Neolithic Age

Paleolithic Age lasted from about 2 Paleolithic Age lasted from about 2.5 million years ago until approximately 10,000 B.C. Neolithic Age lasted from about 10,000 B.C. until approximately 3000 B.C.

Paleolithic people adapted to their environment and invented many tools to help them survive In the Neolithic Age, people started farming, building communities, producing goods, and trading

Paleolithic people were mostly nomads, people who moved from place to place chasing animals and food

Paleolithic people lived in small hunting and gathering groups In general, men spent most of their time hunting and fishing In general, women gathered food, such as fruit, nuts and grains

Much of the Paleolithic Age occurred during the period known as the Ice Age, a time where the earth cooled and thick sheets of ice covered much of the globe

Several advancements were made during the Paleolithic Age… basic tools and weapons were created clothes were invented, fire was mastered and shelter used to deal with the ice age spoken language and religion began to develop

New Stone Age Neolithic Age began with the Agricultural Revolution, a period when people began to grow crops Farming allowed Neolithic people to settle in permanent villages, rather than chase after food

Several advancements were made during the Neolithic Age… crops were grown and animals were domesticated human population boomed villages and small towns emerged people learned to make pottery basic forms of government developed

Use your notes to complete the chart Advancements of the Paleolithic Age Advancements of the Neolithic Age

Advancements of the Paleolithic Age Advancements of the Neolithic Age People were hunters and gatherer People grew crops Basic tools were created Animals were domesticated Weapons were developed Human population boomed Clothes were invented to deal with the ice age Villages and small towns emerged Fire was mastered to deal with the ice age People learned to make pottery Shelter was used to deal with the ice age Basic forms of government developed Spoken language was developed Religion began to develop

Although we only have limited information about the lives of early humans, scientists continue to search for new discoveries These discoveries continue to change our views of the lives of early humans

Paleolithic or Neolithic? Clothes were invented Religion began to develop People learned to grow crops Animals were domesticated Ice covered much of the globe People chased animals Pottery was invented Population boom! Spoken language began to develop Fire was mastered Villages and small towns emerged Basic government developed Basic tools and weapons were created Shelter was developed

Paleolithic or Neolithic? Clothes were invented Religion began to develop People learned to grow crops Animals were domesticated People chased animals Ice covered much of the globe Pottery was invented Population boom! Fire was mastered Spoken language began to develop Basic government developed Villages and small towns emerged Basic tools and weapons were created Shelter was developed

Paleolithic or Neolithic? Basic government developed Religion began to develop Animals were domesticated Population boom! Clothes were invented Villages and small towns emerged People learned to grow crops Fire was mastered People chased animals Shelter was developed Basic tools and weapons were created Pottery was invented Ice covered much of the globe Spoken language began to develop

Paleolithic people adapted to their environment and invented many tools to help them survive In the Neolithic Age, people started farming, building communities, producing goods, and trading