The First Civilizations Chapter 1 The First Civilizations

Early Humans What is an Anthropologist? They study how humans developed & how humans relate to one another

Early Humans Hunt for evidence buried in the ground where settlements might have been They dig up artifacts & fossils Artifacts = tools, weapons & other things made by humans Fossils = traces of plants or animals preserved in rock 2. What is an Archaeologist?

Early Humans 3. Who is Lucy? A hominid fossil found by an American anthropologist named Donald Johnson in 1974 Lucy was found in Ethiopia, a country on the African continent Lucy’s skeleton is nearly 3 MILLION YEARS OLD!!

Early Humans 4. Where do scientists think the first human beings developed? In East Africa Early humans first lived in the rain forests & then SLOWLY spread to the plains Probably spread in search of food & new places to live

Early Humans 5. What is the Stone Age? A time period when people used stone tools & weapons Began about 2.5 million years ago Also called Paleolithic period – “Old Stone Age”

Early Humans 6. What were Paleolithic people like? They were hunter-gather nomads They hunted & gathered food wherever they could find it Moved around all the time, did not have a regular home

Early Humans 7. What was Paleolithic technology? Technology = tools & methods humans use to perform tasks Paleolithic technology = using flint (really hard stone) to make other stones into tools

Early Humans 8. What discovery changed the lives of Paleolithic people? Learning how to create & tame fire Fire helped people stay warm, cook food & scare wild animals away.

Early Humans 9. What were the Ice Ages? Long periods of extreme cold Thick sheets of ice covered parts of Europe, Asia & North America People began using animals skins as clothing to keep warm

Early Humans 10. What was the Neolithic Age? Began after the last Ice Age ended – around 8,000 B.C. People began to farm & settle in villages Began to domesticate animals – tame animals for human use

Early Humans 11. Why was farming important? Allowed more people to be fed & increased the world’s population Changed the type of food people ate People began creating villages

Early Humans 12. What were some negative effects of farming? Lots of people close together in one area Diseases to spread more easily Water became dirty quicker Garbage piled up

Early Humans 13. What were some of the earliest Neolithic villages? Catal Huyuk – located in present day Turkey Jericho – located in present day Israel

Early Humans 14. What were some benefits of settled life for early humans? Steady food supplies Healthy, larger population People began to specialize in jobs such as pottery, weaving, farming

Summary Questions What are some difference between the Paleolithic & the Neolithic Ages? What are some negative & positive effects of farming? Why was it called the Stone Age?