World History Chapter One “Digging Up the Past” Lesson One Early Gatherers and Hunters Pages 10-16

Vocabulary Prehistory – The long period of time before people developed systems of writing and written language. Archaeology – The study of past cultures through the things that remain such as buildings, tools, or pottery. Archaeologist – A scientist that carefully uncovers evidence, or clues, from the past. Artifacts – Objects made by people long ago. Migrate – To move from one place to another. Glacier – A huge ice sheet.

Studying Prehistory Prehistory people did not leave books, newspapers, letters, or emails to tell people how they lived. Archaeologists study artifacts to learn about people long ago. Artifacts can include – tools, weapons, jewelry, and pottery. They also include sharpened stone for cleaning flesh, bone needles for sewing, and cords and knots to tie things together. Archaeologists are also interested in the ashes of ancient campfires, the bones animals left behind after a meal, or even nut shells. Ancient people hunted both small and large animals and used the hides for shelter and clothes. Ancient people ate berries, fruits, nuts, wild grains, and roots that they gathered.

Early Peoples Early American Working together, archaeologists and historians believe that humans moved, or migrated, from East Africa to Europe and Asia thousands of years ago. Question – Who were the first American? Discuss with someone close to you to come up with some possible answers. Early American 70 years ago human-made objects such as arrowheads, hammerstones, bone tools, and scrapers in Clovis, New Mexico. (Scientists estimate 11, 000 years old.) What do we believe as Christians?

Migration Path Ice Age – Period of time where huge ice sheets called glaciers covered great stretches of land. During parts of the Ice Age, the seas were lower than they are today. When the seas were lower a vast area of land, Beringia – now called the Bering Strait – stretched from Asia to North America. This area has also been know as a “land bridge” where both animals and people could migrate between Asian and North America. Archaeologists believe bands, or small groups, of hunters left Asia (about 11, 500 years ago?) they used Beringia to move to Alaska and into the Americas. Please look at the maps on page 15.

Different Paths Archaeologist have also found artifacts at a site near Monte Verde, Chile in South America they believe is 12, 500 years old. The Topper Site in North Carolina dug deeper and found artifacts even older. They are believed to be 18, 000 years old. What do you think about all of these finding?

Lesson Two Early Farmers Pages 18-23

Vocabulary Technology – The way in which humans produce the items they use, improved at a slow rate. Domesticate – To tame. Harvest – To gather. Excavation Site – Where archaeologist dig up artifacts. Agriculture – The raising of plants and animals for human use. Surplus – An extra supply. Nomad – People who travel from place to place. Social Division – A group that does a certain type of work. Climate – The average weather conditions of places over a long period of time. Carbon Dating – All living things contain the element carbon. Scientists can date things based on what happened to the carbon over time.