Chapter 2 – Early Humans: The Story Begins

Learning Objectives To understand how humans began to hunt and what happened after the Ice Age. To explain how the development of agriculture changed the world. To describe the area know as the Fertile Crecent.

Lesson 2-1The Hunters More than one million years ago the world was covered with thick sheets of ice called glaciers, this was known as the Ice Age. The weight of the ice caused the glaciers to spread out and as they moved push up soil and rocks. Many lakes and valleys were also formed. The ice melted and groups of people lived there, they were hunters. They used spears and other simple weapons, wooden sticks, bones and stones. They were known as the “Stone Age” culture.

Lesson 2-2 The Agricultural Revolution The Ice Age ended about 10,000B.C. Glaciers melted and the land was no longer frozen. People learned how to grow food. The change from hunting to farming made civilizations possible. They also learned to tame animals. This change was known as the “Agricultural Revolution.” People began to specialize or learn about one job. People worked on crafts such as weaving and pottery. As different jobs developed so did trading. Due to the revolution people’s needs of food, shelter and clothing were easier to meet. People began to form armies to protect their villages. Villages grew into cities and later into small kingdoms due to agriculture.

Lesson 2-3 The Fertile Crescent Earliest known farming took place along the rivers of the Middle East. Jordan, Syria, Iran, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Israel, and Turkey. Area known as the Fertile Crescent because it was quarter moon shaped. Tigris and Euphrates rivers provided water and soil was rich and fertile. Land between rivers was called Mesopotamia or “land between 2 rivers.” In the Fertile Crescent was one of the earliest known towns – Jericho. By 8000B.C. it was a farming village. Town built stone wall to protect it but in 7000B.C. archaeologists said it was captured. New group of people took over. By 6000B.C. farming spread to Europe and by 5000B.C. rice farmers grew in China. Between 5000 and 2000 B.C. agriculture spread across northern Africa. Certain cities began to grow into great civilizations.