1. Paleolithic and Neolithic
Unit 1

2. Prehistory Objective #1
Prehistory – the time in human history before the invention of writing
What sources can we use to understand the “prehistoric” world?

3. Unwritten History
Oral histories
Drawings
Stuff they left behind

4. Oral Histories
Storytellers prized in many cultures, and stories are passed down for generations
Problems:
“Whisper down the lane” effect
Dead people don’t tell stories

5. Drawings
Mostly, cave paintings
Famous pictures from Lascaux (France)

7. Cave Paintings Art is in the eye of the beholder Stories?
Actual events?
Religious beliefs?
Nice pictures?
Textbooks?

8. Artifacts
Something made by people

9. Fossils
Solidified remains of living things

10. Using Artifacts Some assembly required
Like a giant puzzle with no idea what the picture will be
What if we use things for different purposes?
If we know what, do we know when?
Some things get lost

11. Objective #2
Studying the Past
Archeology
Anthropology

12. Archeology
The study of the human past by examining artifacts and remains
Excavation
Hoping to find ancient settlements, burial sites, tools, etc.

13. Anthropology Study of human origins, relationships, and cultures
Try to determine how humans evolved (physically and culturally)
Archeology is a subfield of anthropology

14. Objective #3
Culture
Culture is a system of beliefs, values, and assumptions about life that guide behavior and are shared by a group of people
Everyone has culture
What does culture include?

15. Objective #2
Early Humans

16. Early Humans
Start our story at the dawn of the Paleolithic Era, about 2.5 million years ago
the Old Stone Age
Humans created the first tools made out of stone

17. Better than Monkeys Early humans developed
Simple stone tools
Control of fire
Oral language
All keys to cooperating in hunts, which bring food and resources

18. Objective #3
Hunter-gatherer Life
People Profiles

19. Source of Food Hunting Gathering Get it? Hunter-gatherers!
Main source, whatever they could catch, kill, and cook!
Gathering
Wild fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, etc.
Get it? Hunter-gatherers!

20. Size of Groups Small groups Why?
Clans: people, one or a few extended families
Why?

21. Permanent Settlements
No! They were nomads
Why move?
Follow herds
No food left
Seasons change
Too cold or hot
No water left

22. Location Factors
Mainly, Paleolithic (and prehistoric) people followed their food
Animals migrate, so did the people
Overpopulation (of people)
Overconsumption (of resources in one spot)

23. Getting Along Cooperation was necessary for survival
Knew everyone in their clan – all relatives
No private property – no where to put it
No fighting other groups – no one around
Finding food…just not that hard

24. Neolithic Age Neolithic Age means:
New Stone Age
How did Neolithic Age differ from Paleolithic Age?
Learnt to polish tools
Make pottery
Grow crops and domesticated animals

25. Neolithic Revolution
Shift from hunting and gathering to farming

26. Neolithic Revolution Cont.
Provided a steady source of food and extra
Causing
Need to store food
Permanent Settlement
Population growth
Specialization and Organization

27. Early Farming Methods Crops Animals Slash and burn faming
Cut tree or grass and burnt them to clear a field
Ashes fertilized the soil
Domestication taming of animals
Happened slowly
Human being to control some animals lives

28. Where did it happen? First seen in the fertile crescent
Later in river valleys

29. Example of Neolithic Activity
Stonehenge
Started during the Neolithic Age and completed during the bronze Age
Aleppo
Ancient City which was a regional trading post