Chapter 1 The First Humans

Section 1: Early Humans Prehistory is a period of time where written records do not exist Most of prehistory is based on theories What are the two studies based on the discovery of prehistoric theories? Archaeology and Anthropology

Archaeologists Archaeology – the study of past people and cultures through what they have left behind. Archaeologist dig up artifacts of early people Ex. tools, pottery, paintings, weapons, buildings

Anthropologists Anthropology – the study of humans – both past and present Anthropologists want to tell the story of how humans lived and to learn different aspects of their culture Culture – refers to the way of life of a society, including its beliefs, practices and values

Important Archaeologists Mary and Louis Leakey – searched for artifacts in Tanzania in a canyon called Olduvai Gorge Found a bone of a hominid (a humanlike creature) estimated to be 2 million years old

The First Humans Much of our knowledge of early humans depends on guesswork Early humans and other creatures that could walk upright were known as hominids

Australopithecines Donald Johanson discovered a 3 million year old complete Australopithecine skeleton He named the skeleton Lucy Australopithecines are part of the first stage of human development and are known as “southern apes”, they flourished in Africa 3 -4 million years ago They were the first hominids to use simple stone tools

Homo habilis Known as the “handy man” because they could use larger and more varied tools Flourished about 2 million years ago Could use their tools for cutting, scraping, chopping, or sawing plants, animals and wood

Homo erectus Flourished 1.5 million years ago, they were fully upright walkers They were notable for having larger brains They were the first to leave Africa for the colder climate of Europe because they could use fire

Homo sapiens Developed around 250,000 years ago – “wise human beings” Around 100,000 years ago they developed in two groups

Homo sapiens Neanderthals – lived in the Neander Valley in Germany Believed to be the first hominids to bury their dead, indicating the belief in an afterlife Made clothing from the skins of animals Disappeared mysteriously around 30,000 years ago Homo sapiens sapiens – The first modern humans Followed animal migration patterns and over tens of thousands of years they populated the earth Everyone on earth today is a member of the Homo sapiens sapiens species

Paleolithic Means “Old Stone Age” Period of history between 2.5 million B.C. and 10,000 B.C. in which humans used simple stone tools Digging sticks, axes and spears made of bone, wood and stone Hunted and gathered Lived in small bands of 20 or 30 people Nomadic – The moved from place to place following vegetation cycles and animal migration

Paleolithic Age Continued There was a rough equality between men and women – both were responsible for finding food Usually men hunted and women gathered so they could take care of the children Housing consisted of caves or structures made of animal bones and hides Spoken language developed at some point allowing for communication

Paleolithic Age Continued The making of tools and the use of fire were the two most important technological inventions of the Paleolithic Age Animism – belief that spirits, inhabit plants, animals, or other natural objects – part of the religious beliefs of Paleo peoples Cave paintings at Lascaux France and Altimara Spain indicate the paleos painted for decorative purposes

The Neolithic Revolution Neolithic Age – Occurred from 8,000 B.C. to 4,000 B.C. Neolithic means “New Stone Age” During this period there was a shift from hunting and gathering to keeping animals and growing food – This event is called the Neolithic Revolution

Neolithic Age Continued The Neolithic revolution can be considered the greatest achievement in human history It gave humans a regular food supply, giving them a greater control of the environment and allowing them to give up nomadic ways to settle in communities The transition to systematic agriculture was a slow process that took thousands of years

Neolithic Age Surpluses in food allowed for some people to be involved in activities other than farming Artisans – craftspeople who traded for their food When food was scarce warfare between Neolithic villages increased Villages were likely led by a council of elders or a chief More personal property was accumulated by settled people and differences in wealth emerged

Neolithic Age People specialized in making products such as pots, baskets and clothes Men began to dominate the relationship with women because the importance of gathering had diminished

New Societies As Neolithic settlements developed and grew, walls were placed around villages and armies were created More complex societies would emerge independently around 4,000 BCE and new patterns of human life were beginning Civilizations began in river valleys in Mesopotamian, Egypt, India and China

Characteristics of a Civilization Cities Well-Organized Governments Complex Religions Job Specialization Social Classes Arts and Architecture Public Works Writing

Cities Much larger than the Neolithic towns Most cities rose in river valleys that could maintain large scale farming needed to feed large populations

Governments The first governments were created to manage the food supply and the building of walls to protect the cities The first governments were ruled by warrior kinds who issued laws, collected taxes and organized defense Over time departments were created to oversee certain government responsibilities Power was usually hereditary and passed on within the royal family The king was sometimes believed to be a god

Complex Religion Polytheistic – belief in many gods Religion began as a way to explain the existence and forces of nature The gods were believed to control trade, war, birth and most aspects of human life Priests performed rituals to keep the gods happy

Job Specialization Artisans were skilled craftspeople Metalworking would begin to emerge around 4,000 BCE Bricklayers, soldiers, singers, dancers and merchants are examples of specialized labor

Social Class A hierarchy of society emerged in most early civilizations, ranking people based on their jobs The Royal Family and Priests were at the top followed by a group of nobles Wealthy merchants were in a lower class followed by artisans Peasants composed the bulk of the population and were farmers Some civilizations had slaves, who were usually captured women and children Some families sold children into slavery to pay debts

Art and Architecture Allowed ancient civilizations to express their talent, beliefs and values Temples and palaces dominated city landscapes and showed the power of a ruler or the religion

Public Works Government organized projects such as the building of irrigation systems, roads, bridges or walls Public works often required the mass organization of labor

Writing Writing may have begun by priests who needed to record information about rituals or to preserve information about the seasons Early writing consisted of pictographs, simple drawings that looked like the object they represented Scribes – trained people who could read and write

Civilizations Change Some people remained nomadic but interacted with cities through trade Environmental catastrophes could also cause movement of people Cultural Diffusion – the spread of ideas, customs and technologies as civilizations interact with one another City-States – political unit that includes the city and the surrounding area Empire – different states controlled by a single ruler