Archaeology Primitive Humans – Agricultural Revolution

Primitive Humans Prehistory vs History Primitive humans fall into the prehistoric period. How can we learn about such people? –Study of what they left behind Human bones Animal bones What the humans produced “Tools”: artifacts –Most tools were made of stone: Stone Age Earliest human ancestor: Australopithecenes: 3.5 mill yrs ago. –Lucy: most complete australopithecene skeleton.

Lucy Austalapithecene

Australopithecenes

Primitive Humans Paleolithic Age: earliest period of human tool making from stone. –Paleolithic = Old Stone Age 2.5 mill-10,000 yrs ago. –Oldest human relatives are found in Africa Homo Habilis: 2.5 million yrs ago made the first stone tools. This is the beginning of the Paleolithic period. Humans are scavengers. Homo Erectus: 1.5 mill yrs; first to leave Africa and spread out across the globe and make fire. Humans are now hunters. Neandertal: 200,000-40,000 yrs ago. Survived the Ice Age, sophisticated tools: clothes, buried dead with goodies--- religion. Cro-Magnon: 50, Produced art. Lived in caves in France and Spain. Modern humans like us.

Primitive Humans Great Rift Valley Australopithecenes Ardipithecus Homo Habilis

Primitive Humans HOMO HABILIS HOMO ERECTUS

Primitive Humans NEANDERTAL CRO-MAGNON

Primitive Humans Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone Age): 10, yrs ago. Humans domesticate animals, invented bow and arrow, fish hooks, harpoons. Neolithic Age (New Stone Age): 8000 yrs ago. Finer tools produced. Development of agriculture. Domestication of many more animals. –Neolithic Revolution: beginning of farming. This would lead to civilizations, why? 5 Traits of civilization

Civilization 5 Traits of Civilization –Cities –Complex institutions –Division of labor –Writing –Advanced technology

Neolithic Age Early Civilizations: –Jericho –Catal Huyuk –These cities are considered some of the earliest settlements to practice agriculture Hence, they are some of the earliest civilizations

Neolithic Age Jericho: –believed to be one of the oldest continuously- inhabited cities in the world, dating at least 9000 ys. ago! –Artifacts dating from 6800 BC at this site include ten skulls, plastered and painted so as to reconstitute the individuals' features. May have been kept in people's homes while the bodies were buried. –Middle Bronze Age,1700 BC, the city enjoyed some prosperity. –First permanent settlement was about 8000 BC and consisted of: walls, shrine and a 23 ft tower with internal staircase.

Jericho

Jericho Skulls:

Catal Huyuk Large Neolithic settlement in southern Turkey, ( ). It is the largest and best preserved Neolithic site found to date. The eastern settlement forms a mound which would have risen about 20 m (66 ft) above the plain. – There is also a smaller settlement mound to the west Çatal Huyuk was composed of domestic buildings; with no obvious public buildings. While some of the larger buildings contain rather ornate wall murals, the purpose of such rooms remains unclear An average population of between 5,000 to 8,000

Catal Huyuk The inhabitants lived in mud-brick houses which were crammed together –accessed by holes in the ceiling, which were reached by interior and exterior ladders and stairs. Thus, their rooftops were their streets. –All interior walls and platforms were plastered to a smooth finish. –Buried their dead within the village. Remains have been found in pits beneath the floors, and especially beneath hearths, the platforms within the main rooms and under the beds. The bodies were tightly flexed before burial, and were often placed in baskets or wrapped in reed mats. Some skulls were plastered and painted with ochre to recreate human-like faces Vivid murals and figurines are found throughout the settlement, on interior and exterior walls. Distinctive clay figurines of women have been found in the upper levels of the site. –storage of cereals such as wheat, barley, peas, almonds pistachios

Catal Huyuk Artifacts

Catal Huyuk Artifacts

Catal Huyuk Artifacts

Civilizations This year, we will study civilizations Civilizations around the Mediterranean Sea. We will be studying civilizations from two periods: Bronze Age: Civilizations that arose in a time period known as the Bronze Age BC. It was during this time that most tools were made of bronze Iron Age: 1200 BC on. Period when most tools were made of iron. Began right after the end of the Bronze Age.