1. Prehistory CHAPTER ONE :: Prehistory refers to the long
period of time before people
invented systems of writing
BY: Daniela Agostinelli "D"

2. .. Understanding Our Past ..
Geography is the study of people,
their environments, and the
resources available to them
Longitude measures distance
east or west of the Prime Meridian
Latitude measures distance
north or south of the Equator

3. .. Anthropology and Archaeology ..
Archaeology is the study of past
people and cultures.
The study of origins and development
of people and their societies
is known as anthropology.

4. Archaeologists study artifacts, objects made by human beings
Archaeologists study artifacts, objects made by human beings. They include: weapons, pottery, clothing, and jewelry.
In anthropology, culture refers to the way of life of a society that is handed down from one generation to the next by learning and experience.

5. .. Old Stone Age (Paleolithic age) ..
2 million B.C. - 10,000 B.C.
Paleolithic people were nomads,
people who moved place to place
in search of food.
Due to a time period when the Earth cooled,
glaciers, or sheets of ice, spead across
parts of the world, causing the Paleolithic people to invent clothing.

6. .. Religious Beliefs & Agricultural Revolution ..
Many believed the world was full of spirits and forces that might reside in animals, objects or dreams. This belief is known as animism.
No one knows how or when people began to plant seeds for food, but the change had such dramatic effects that historians call it the Neolithic agricultural revolution.

7. .. The Neolithic agricultural age ..
The Neolithic agricultural age led to a growth in population,
and enabled people to become food producers.
No greater change in the way people lived took place until
the Industrial Revolution in the 1700's

8. .. The Rise Of Cities ..
A civilization is a complex, highly organized social order.
Civilizations in the Americas did
not rise in river valleys.
Two major civilizations,
the Aztecs and Incas,
emerged in Mexico and Peru.
Cities rose independently in
river valleys across the world.
Flood waters spread silt across
these valleys, renewing the soil
and keeping it fertile.

9. Like their Stone Age ancestors, most ancient people were
Priests & nobles were at top.
Next, the wealthy merchants,
followed by humbler artisans.
Below them, were farmer peasants.
Slaves occupied the lowest level.
Social Classes
were built.
Like their Stone Age ancestors,
most ancient people were
polytheistic, believing in many gods.
Individuals began to specialize in many
jobs. Some became artisans, or skilled
workers, who made pottery or carved goods.

10. .. Form of Writing .. Only specially trained people
called scribes learned to read
and write. They were very
educated and limited to women.
The earliest form of writing
was made up of pictograms,
or simple drawings that looked
like the objects they represented.

11. .. The Spread Of Civilizations and Its Changes ..
An important source of change was cultural diffusion, the spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one person to another.
A city-state is a unit that included
a city and its surrounding lands and villages.
An empire is a group of states
or territories controlled by one ruler

12. .. Regents Questions .. August 2001 January 2002 August 2003
1) Which example is a primary source of information for historians?
(1) textbook (3) almanac (2) encyclopedia (4) autobiography
2) Why did ancient civilizations develop in valleys of rivers such as the Nile, Indus, Tigris and Euphrates?
(1) The river valleys provided a source of fresh water and good farmland. (2) The rivers aided in the exploration of new territories. (3) The rivers provided power for industries. (4) The river valleys provided areas for recreation.
3) Early peoples who moved frequently as they searched for the food they needed for survival are called
(1) hunters and gatherers (2) village dwellers (3) subsistence farmers (4) guild members
January 2002
4) The Neolithic Revolution was characterized by the
(1) change from nomadic herding to settled farming (2) growth of iron tool making technology (3) migration of early peoples to the Americas (4) decline of large empires
August 2003
5) In which field of study do people learn about the development of early human beings?
(1) Economics (3) political science
(2) cartography (4) anthropology

13. .. Regents Answers ..
1) 4
2) 1
3) 1
4) 3
5) 4