1. The Earliest Human Societies SSWH0
Though necessary this isn’t covered by the GA standards

2. Time and Geography

4. SOCIAL

5. The Earliest Human Societies
Hominid (human-like creature)
4.5 million years ago
Hominid

6. The Earliest Human Societies
Homo sapiens (thinking or skillful man)
Originated in Africa
Migrated 100,000 years ago to Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Western Hemisphere
10,000-15,000 years ago, Homo sapiens were on every continent except Antarctica
Male and female Homo sapiens sapiens in Thailand

9. Definition of Terms
History - record of human activity based on evidence
Historiography - systematic study of history
Archaeology - study of past cultures and civilizations
Anthropology - study of humans as species rather than studying specific activities

10. Definition of Terms
Archaeologists study human societies that existed before recorded history
Paleoanthropologists study human evolution
Paleoenvironmentalists study ancient natural environments
Paleographers study old writing

11. The Evolving Past
Paleoanthropology is advancing our knowledge about the age, nature, and locales of humans
Skull of Australopithecus africanus

12. INTELLECTUAL

13. The Evolving Past
Stone age tools
Tool-making is a major indicator of human development
Tools date back at least 70,000 years ago
Tools are also a form of art

14. SOCIAL

15. The Evolving Past Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age)
Paleolithic social unit
Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age)
Dates roughly from first tools to about 10,000 BCE
The family was the basic social unit, organized into groups of 40 people or fewer

16. Human Development During the Paleolithic Age
Neanderthal Man
Flourished in many parts of Europe until 30,000 years ago
Came to an end with last Ice Age
Disappeared at same time that Homo sapiens appeared
How a Neanderthal might have looked

17. Human Development During the Paleolithic Age
Humans - Changed Appearance
Became upright, walked more erect
Skull size and shape changed to encompass larger brain
Less hairy bodies, shorter arms
Eyesight improved, sense of smell deteriorated
Larynx shifted to allow for speech
Michelangelo's David is considered by many the perfect human form

18. Human Development During the Paleolithic Age
Lived in semi-permanent shelters for longer periods of time
Mastered their environment
Clothing
Fire
Tools
Humans mastered fire

19. ECONOMIC

20. The Neolithic Age Agricultural Revolution - Effect on Society
From gathering and hunting to livestock breeding and herding, sowing, and harvesting for food production
Changes in lifestyle
Population expanded in permanent settlements
Property (land and livestock) privately owned
Laws, systematized regulation
Specialized labor
Greater roles for women – matriarchy and female religious rituals

22. Agrarian and Irrigation Civilizations
Population growth: rural and urban (ruling elites)
Craft, trade, farming technologies developed
Characteristics of Agrarian Lifestyle
Cities controlled rural life: laws, religion, customs, traditions, taxes
Religion: rituals, sacrifices to gods and spirits
Time was cyclic – birth, death, renewal
Social values – kinship and the clan, veneration of elders/ancestors

23. River Valley Civilizations
A map showing the earliest river civilizations highlighted in color
River Valley Civilizations
Tigres and Euphrates (Mesopotamia), Niger (west Africa), Indus (India), Yellow and Yangtze (China)

25. Rivers and Deserts Benefit and Impact of Rivers
provided crops and essential water
transportation and communication
trade and migration
migration and conquest
The benefit and impact of the rivers were great

26. Rivers and Deserts Desert and Steppe Life
Nomadic stockbreeders in search for
water and pasture
Warfare: pastoralists and farmers
Nomadic stockbreeders pursued water

27. INTELLECTUAL

28. Metal and Its Uses Soft copper – first metal Bronze Age
Lead and tin formed bronze
Harder, more resistant to weather
Difficult to make, heavy, expensive
First appeared in western Asia
Lasted from 7000 to1500 BCE
Ended with smelting of iron

30. Iron Age Key metal in history Cheaper, lasts longer
Iron - one of most common ores
Crucial breakthrough was to purify it
Equipment, tools, weapons, utensils
By 1200 BCE, knowledge of iron smelting was known throughout Middle East and Egypt

31. SUMMARY Various stages of development in Neolithic
Age, especially around 3000 BCE
urban life
system of government and record keeping
advanced weapons and metal tools

32. REVIEW

33. Discussion Questions
Was it coincidence that Neanderthal Man vanished at roughly the same time that Homo sapiens appeared? Would the two groups have had contact? If so, what do you think might have happened?
It has been suggested that agriculture has been one of mankind’s most important inventions, second only to our learning to use fire. Do you agree or disagree? What other human inventions are of this magnitude? What would have happened to our species if we had not invented agriculture? Was it inevitable?