Before History Chapter 1

Prehistory refers to the period before writing, while history refers to the era after the invention of writing enabled human communities to record and store information.

Australopithecus “The Southern Ape” but not an ape, a hominid Appeared in east Africa about 4-1 million years ago Walked upright on two legs; well-developed hands Stone tools; fire later Short, hairy and limited intelligence About 3 feet tall, 25-55 pounds Brain size was 500 cubic centimeters

Lucy November 1974 Hadar, Ethiopia 25-30 years old 3.5 feet tall About 55 pounds One of the most complete and best-preserved skeletons of any early human ancestor Skull about the size of a grapefruit Walked upright 3.2 million years ago Lucy

Homo erectus “upright walking human” 2.5 million to 200,000 years ago East Africa Large brain (1000cc); sophisticated tools Fire Developed language skills in well-coordinated hunts of large animals Migrated to Asia and Europe; established throughout by 200,000 years ago

Homo sapiens “Consciously thinking human” Evolved as early as 200,000 years ago Brain with large frontal regions for conscious and reflective thought Spread throughout Eurasia beginning more than one hundred thousand years ago Ice age land bridges enabled them to populate other continents Used knives, spears, bows, and arrows Brought pressure on other species

Paleolithic Society Economic life Economy and society of hunting and gathering peoples Economic life Prevented individuals from accumulating private property Lived an egalitarian existence Lived in small bands, about thirty to fifty members in each group Big game hunting with special tools and tactics Some permanent Paleolithic settlements, if area rich in resources Natufians in eastern Mediterranean Jomon in central Japan Chinook in Pacific northwest area of North America

Paleolithic Culture Neandertal peoples Europe and southwest Asia, between one hundred thousand and thirty-five thousand years ago Careful, deliberate burials were evidence of a capacity for emotion and feelings Cro-Magnon peoples (Homo sapiens sapiens) The first human beings of fully modern type; appeared forty thousand years ago Venus figurines--fertility Cave paintings of animals--sympathetic magic Better weapons, needles, jewelry, furniture

Neolithic Era The origins of agriculture Neolithic era; new stone age; refined tools and agriculture From about twelve thousand to six thousand years ago Neolithic women began systematic cultivation of plants Neolithic men began to domesticate animals Early agriculture around 9000 B.C.E. Agriculture emerged independently in several parts of the world Merchants, migrants, and travelers spread food knowledge Slash-and-burn cultivation involved frequent movement of farmers Agriculture more work than hunting/gathering but steady, large supply of food

Neolithic Society Early agricultural society; population explosion caused by surplus Emergence of villages and towns Jericho, earliest known neolithic village Mud huts and defensive walls Specialization of labor Neolithic site of Çatal Hüyük, eight thousand people Prehistoric craft industries: pottery, metallurgy, and textile production Social distinctions, due to private land ownership

Neolithic Culture calendars life cycle deities

Urban Life Emergence of cities, larger and more complex than villages Earliest cities in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, 4000 to 3500 B.C.E.