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Historiography: The writing of history based on the critical examination of sources.

What is history?  Tale, story  A chronological record  Records and explains past events  Can be viewed from many angles: political, economic, social, cultural, etc.

Sources in History  Primary Sources – an eyewitness to history  Diary, journal  Laws, court cases  Artifacts, art  Secondary Sources – second-hand account  Biography  Textbooks Is a newspaper article a primary source? NO!!

Bias  Prejudiced outlook  Writers demonstrate bias through  Emphasis on events, repetition  Omission of information or events, points of view

Point of View  The influence of the author’s background, standing, or purpose  Who is the author and why does he think or emphasize what he does? “History is written by the winner.” Is this statement true or false? Is history absolute?

Dating  Used to use B.C. and A.D.  Now, we use BCE and CE  BCE means before common era  CE means common era

Centuries  When you hear “17 th century,” what years are we referring to? a b c d Texas A&M Century Tree- Gig ‘em! Remember, whatever number the century is, the years in the century will actually start with the number before Ex. The 18 th century includes the year 1728

Development of Early Civilization From hunting-gathering to the Neolithic Revolution

Hunting and Gathering Use wild animals and plants for food. Migrate seasonally (nomadic) Live in family or tribal groups.

Advantages The land supplies whatever is needed. Movement is easier when food is scarce. Life encourages cooperation and language skills. Special weapons and tools develop for hunting and digging up plants.

Disadvantages People are always searching for new food sources. It is more difficult to store food. People must carry everything along when traveling. Only simple social organization was possible.

Neolithic Revolution Possible cause could be climate change Rising temperatures = longer growing seasons More food = population boom Raise herds of tame animals. Plant seeds and raise crops. Domestication Live in permanent settlements. Last Ice Age Analysis: What is this chart saying?

Advantages Crops provide a reliable food supply. Population grows as life becomes more complex. Societies become more complex. Trade increases and commerce develops. Division of labor allows workers to specialize.

Disadvantages Crop failures due to weather or pests cause famines. Floods, fire, or even raiders could destroy villages. Disease spreads easily when people live together.

To summarize… The Neolithic Revolution: Was a fundamental shift in human society from hunting-gathering for survival to agriculture. Included domestication of plants and animals Led to civilizations!*** I’m farming and I grow it

Civilization: A complex culture with five basic characteristics: S - Specialized workers C - Complex institutions A - Advanced cities A - Advanced technology R - Record keeping

Specialized Workers—workers who specialize in a specific skill Food surpluses allowed for specialization Artisans – workers with a specific, valuable skill Examples: priests, metalworkers, scribes, soldiers, teachers, weavers, merchants, gov’t officials, farmers

Complex Institutions Used to maintain order among people. Government and laws created by them Ancient Babylon had “Hammurabi’s Code” World’s first uniform code of law Applied to all who lived in Babylon Ancient Egypt had a “Theocracy”—Religious Government Pharaoh—God-King

Complex Institutions Religion Ziggurats in Mesopotamia were used for… Religious ceremonies Pyramids in Egypt were used for… Burying Pharaohs Education systems

Advanced Cities A city is a large group of people living together…like, duh! The 1 st cities were… Centers of trade for a region

Advanced Technology—new tools and techniques that solve problems OR make life easier. Examples: Wheel Pottery Plow Sailboat Metal weapons and tools

Record Keeping—a written language Scribes—professional record keepers (the only dudes who could read and write) Where did Record Keeping begin? Mesopotamia Cuneiform— “wedge-shaped”

Record Keeping…Continued Later on… In Egypt Hieroglyphics  Used pictures for objects and ideas What allows us to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics into modern languages? The Rosetta Stone

Civilization: A complex culture with five basic characteristics: S - Specialized workers C - Complex institutions A - Advanced cities A - Advanced technology R - Record keeping