Chapter 3 Early Humans and the Agricultural Revolution

Paleolithic Age Paleolithic – “Old Stone Age”; time of hunters and gatherers Nomads – people who move from place to place Things made by humans long ago are called artifacts Men hunted; women stayed close to camp Culture – way of life for a group of people who share similar beliefs and customs Technology – tools and methods to perform tasks Climate affected how people lived

Paleolithic Age (cont.) Fire Life became less difficult People gathered around fire to share stories and cook Language and Art Spoken language was developed People expressed themselves through art Cave paintings have been found all around the world Ice Age – long period of extreme cold Low sea levels exposed a “land bridge” connecting Asia and North America To survive people had to adapt (ex. Increased fat intake)

Neolithic Age Neolithic – “New Stone Age”; farming revolution Gradually, farming replaced hunting and gathering Domesticate – tame animals for human use Agricultural Revolution – some historians consider it to be the most important event in human history Farmers saved some grain to plant Constant supply of food could be produced Populations grew faster Settled communities began forming Farming spread all over the world

Neolithic Age cont. Life in the Neolithic Age People settled near water, especially rivers Communities grew – people were more secure Farmers grew more food than they needed and began to trade this surplus (amount that is left over) Less people were needed to farm so they became artisans or skilled workers; this is known as specialization or training for a particular job Men farmed and women took care of the children Bronze – a metal created by mixing copper and tin Stronger than copper but expensive; most used tools and weapons made of stone

Civilizations Humans continued to develop more complex cultures, or ways of life These complex cultures are called civilizations Four great river valley civilizations began about 3000 BCE – Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China Early civilizations developed cities and formed governments Trade increased – allowed for the exchange of goods and ideas Religions started to help people explain their lives People invented ways of writing to pass on information