Early Man (or Human)

Prehistory the period before writing was developed

Archaeology the study of past societies through an analysis of what people left behind

Anthropology the study of human life and culture

Fossil a remnant or impression of an organism from a past geologic age that has been preserved in the Earth’s crust

Artifact items left behind by early people Examples would be tools, pottery, paintings, weapons

Primary Source A firsthand or eyewitness account of an event Examples would be = letters, diaries, newspaper articles, interviews, pictures, songs Bias = a tendency or preference towards a particular perspective

Secondary Source A secondhand account about an event that is based on what someone else has experienced Examples would be = textbooks, books and articles based on past events, movies, songs

HOMINIDS Humans and other humanlike creatures that walk upright

Australopithecines Appeared about 4-5 million years ago Found in Africa Stood upright and walked on two legs Name means “southern ape” Brain was one-third the size of humans today

Homo habilis Appeared about 2.4 million years ago Found in Africa Learned to make and use crude stone tools Had more humanlike features, such as smaller teeth and hands that were better able to grasp objects Name means “handy man” Brain was half the size of humans today

Homo erectus Appeared about million years ago Started out in Africa, then spread to Europe and Asia – first hominid to leave Africa Used early stone tools, such as the hand ax Learned to control fire Name means “upright man” Larger brain than earlier hominids

Neanderthals Appeared 200,000 – 30,000 years ago Found in Europe and Southwest Asia First early people to bury their dead Used a variety of stone tools and made clothes from the skins of animals Died out, possibly due to a conflict with the Homo sapiens sapiens

Cro-Magnons Appeared about 40,000 years ago Sturdy and muscular, they were physically identical to modern humans Made finely crafted tools and cave art

Homo sapiens sapiens Appeared 200,000 – 150,000 years ago First anatomically modern humans Started to spread outside of Africa about 100,000 years ago All humans today belong to this subspecies Name means “wise, wise human being”

Homo sapiens Appeared about 250, ,000 years ago Started out in Africa and migrated around the world Beginning of modern humans May have been the first to develop spoken language Name means “wise human being” Split into two subgroups: – Neanderthals – Homo sapiens sapiens

Spread of the Hominids Started out in Africa and migrated around the world Moved from Africa to the Middle East (Southwest Asia), then to Asia and Australia, next up was Europe and northern Asia (colder) – This was aided by the use of fire Finally people arrived in the Americas, probably by crossing a land bridge in the Bering Strait By 9000 BC humans had spread to six continents

The Iceman named Otzi His remains were discovered by hikers in the Alps in 1991 He is 5,300 years old Very well preserved due to being frozen Found with numerous articles of clothing, tools, and weapons Murdered?

Paleolithic Age Known as the Old Stone Age, lasted from 2.5 million – 10,000 BC – Named because people used simple stone tools People were hunter-gatherers who hunted, fished, and gathered wild plants for food People also lived as nomads, moving around from place to place to follow animal migrations and vegetation cycles Lived in small bands and relied on resources around them to survive Both men and women were responsible for obtaining food, which made them equal

Used caves and rock overhangs for shelter Used fire to adapt to the environment An important development was the use of technology – Technology = the application of knowledge, tools, and materials to make life easier First technology was crude chipped stones which evolved into more refined and specialized tools Made clothes and built shelters – Pit houses, wooden frames covered by animal skins, used material that was available

Neolithic Revolution A shift from hunting and gathering to farming and the domestication of animals – This was one of the most important developments in human history and changed how people lived Happened around 10,000 years ago due to a warming trend that ended the last Ice Age – Sea levels rose and many Ice Age plants and animals died out People experimented with planting seeds and learned to farm gradually over a long period of time

With the development of farming, people began to practice domestication – Domestication = adaptation for human use, such as animals and plants People would save and plant seeds from the best plants and breed the best animals Domesticated plants and animals that were available Raise livestock to provide a more stable food supply First domesticated animals were dogs

Changes and Consequences The world population grew significantly The growing of crops meant that people had greater control over their environment and could now settle in one place and formed permanent settlements In the farming societies, people pooled their labor and resources – Lived close together in houses made of mud bricks or other material

FOUR RIVER VALLEYS Nile River = Egypt Tigris and Euphrates Rivers = Mesopotamia – Also known as the Fertile Crescent Indus River = India Huang-He River = China