Foundations of Civilization

Study of people, their environments, and the resources available to them Useful in showing how people lived in different times and places, geographers have added to our knowledge of human history

Location  Where a place is on the surface of the earth; Latitude and longitude Place  Physical features and characteristics; Climate, landforms, bodies of water, plant/animal life, etc Human Environment Interaction  people have interacted with the environment and have shaped and been shaped by the places in which they live Movement  movement of people, goods, and ideas Region  Way to divide; politically, economically, and culturally

Prehistory refers to the long period of time before people invented writing In order to study history, historians must make use of artifacts  objects made by humans Clothing, coins, artwork, tombstones, etc

Field of study dedicated to the origins and development of people and their societies Archaeology is a part of Anthropology It focuses on past people and cultures through their material remains Know any Archaeologists?

Archaeologists “dig”

They hope to uncover lost artifacts that can tell them more about the past

Mary and Louis Leakey

First found ancient tools chipped from stone in Tanzania Proved that these ancient civilizations had produced Technology The skills and tools people use to meet their basic needs and wants

In 1959, they found a skull embedded in ancient rock at Olduvai Gorge

Discovered by Donald Johanson Named after a Beatles’ song Upright walker, 4 Ft tall

Homo habilis  “Handy men”; First to make stone tools Homo erectus  “Upright man”; Fully upright walkers First to learn how to use fire Homo sapiens  Group to which modern humans belong

Chapter 1: Section 2

2 Million B.C. to about 10,000 B.C. Also called the Paleolithic Period

Early modern humans lived at the end of this period They were Nomads  people who move from place to place searching for food Hunters and gatherers The men hunted and fished while the women and children gathered berries, fruits, nuts, and grains

Made tools and weapons of materials they could find, stone, bone, and wood Used animal skins for clothing Developed a spoken language

Started burying their dead with great care Provided their dead with tools and weapons; thought their “afterlife” would be similar Animism  believed that the world was full of spirits and forces that might reside in animals, objects, or dreams Showed this through cave paintings

New Stone Age 10,000 B.C. to the end of Prehistory

What marks the change from Paleolithic to Neolithic…The invention of farming Important because they no longer had to be nomadic, could now stay in one place

Able to raise plants and animals in a controlled way that makes them best suited for human use Discovered by accident, realizing that seeds scattered on the ground would produce new plants the next year Decided to round up animals they usually hunted; could use for food, clothing, milk, and eggs

Establishment of villages for the first time Catalhuyuk (Turkey) Jericho

Larger than Jericho 6500 people Included hundreds of rectangular mud brick houses, all connected and about the same size

Men dominated family, economic, and political life Councils of Elders made decisions Warfare increased when food was scarce

First calendars…why important? Use animals such as oxen or water buffalo to plow fields Used clay to create pottery for cooking and storage

In a minimum of 5-7 sentences, answer the following: Which time period would you have preferred to have lived in and why? Or why not?