Pre-History and First Cities Mr. Shepard Cities and Civilizations

Human Evolution (c. 4M years ago - c. 200,000 B.C.E.)

How do we study Pre-History Archeology/Anthropology Biology – Carbon dating – DNA

Australopithecines (c.4M -2M years ago) Discovered in East Africa in the early 1920’s Bi-pedal Ate mostly fruit, vegetables, tubers Brain size roughly 35% of homo sapiens Typically ft tall Simple Stone tools Reconstruction of Australopithecus afarensis

09/08/11 NYT Story on Possible New Human Ancestor New Fossils May Redraw Human Ancestry

Homo Habilis (c. 2M - 1M years ago) Discovered in East Africa in the 1960’s – Mary and Louis Leakey Brain size slightly less than half of modern humans. Simple stone tools found near remains. Meat and Vegetable diet Thought to be earliest specimen of the genus homo until…

Homo Gautengensis (c. 2M - 600K years ago) Discovery confirmed May 2010 Found in Ethiopia Spent most of the time in trees About 3 ft tall and 110 lbs. Big teeth helped break down plant fiber

Homo Erectus (c. 1.8M - 100K years ago) Originated in Africa and spread as far as China and Japan About 5 ft 10 in Brain size close to homo sapiens Sophisticated tools First to live in hunter- gatherer communities Controlled fire

Neaderthals (c. 130K - 30K B.C.E.) Discovered in Neander Valley in Germany Subspecies of homo sapien or separate human species Recent genetic evidence suggests interbreeding with homo sapiens Brain roughly the same size as homo sapiens Carnivorous Numerous theories of extinction

Homo Sapiens (c. 200,000 B.C.E.) Paleolithic Age Only living members of the homo genus Highly developed brain Lived in hunter-gatherer bands Stone tools Migration out of Africa c. 70,000 years ago

Agricultural Revolution (c. 10,000 B.C.E.) Mesolithic Period (c. 10, ,000) Slow transition from hunter-gather to food producing Systematic Agriculture (c. 8, ,000) – Likely developed independently in the Near East, Southern Asia, Africa, and Central America – ANE was home to barley and wheat, in addition to pigs, cows, goats and sheep – Steady source of food and clothing

Jericho (c B.C.E) Site first inhabited around 9000 BCE Earliest city near modern day Tell-Es-Sultan in the West Bank of the Palestinian Territories Lowest permanently inhabited site in the World. First excavated in the 1860’s. Tell-Es-Sultan excavated between

Walls at Jericho Joshua fit the battle of Jericho Jericho, Jericho Joshua fit the battle of Jericho And the walls come tumbling down American Gospel Song

Remains of a Dwelling at Tell- Es-Sultan

Çatal Hüyük (c B.C.E.) First excavated in 1958 Almost all domestic dwellings of relatively equal size No streets or foot paths Dead buried beneath the floor of the house

Archeological Dig at Çatal Hüyük

Renderings of Çatal Hüyük