Chapter I: The First Humans
An Indiana Jones Thing
Terms to begin with… Prehistory- period before writing was developed Archaeology- the study of past societies through an analysis of what people left behind Artifacts-“stuff” left behind Fossils- remains of living things Anthropology- study of human life and culture
People in History Donald Johanson Mary and Louis B. Leakey
Dating Artifacts and Fossils Radiocarbon Dating (determines an object’s age by measuring the amount of C-14)
Dating Artifacts and Fossils Thermoluminescence dating (determines an object’s age by measuring the light given off by electrons trapped in the surrounding soil)
Dating Artifacts and Fossils DNA analysis
Key Stages of Human Development Australopithecines 3-4 million years ago East/southern Africa First believed to leave the trees “southern apes” First hominids(humans and other creatures that walk upright)to make simple tools Ardipithecus???
Key Stages of Human Development Australopithecus
Key Stages of Human Development Homo erectus 1.5 million years ago “upright human being” Larger brains/more advanced tools First believed to use fire Fire gave warmth Fostered a sense of community for the groups gathered around it Enable them to scare away animals Flush animals out of wooded areas Cook food= make it taste better, easier to chew and digest As Ice Age conditions developed, allowed humans to further adapt to their environment First to leave Africa and spread to Europe and Asia
Key Stages of Human Development Homo erectus
Key Stages of Human Development Homo sapiens 250,000 years ago “wise human being” Homo sapiens sapiens (“wise wise human beings”) 200,000 years age Neanderthals
Key Stages of Human Development Homo sapiens
The Spread of Humans 2 to 3 miles per generation Populated the world within 10,000 years Traditional theory: started in Africa and slowly spread to the rest of the world Multiregional Theory: advanced human creatures may have emerged independently in different regions of the world
The Spread of Humans (Out-of-Africa Theory)
The Spread of Humans (Multi-Regional Model)
Paleolithic Age Nomadic lifestyle: humans had no permanent settlement…they followed their food sources Both men and women had to find food, however, women had to stay close to camp because they raised children Men hunted/ women gathered
Paleolithic Age ToolEffect spear, bow and arrowmade hunting easier bone harpoon and fishhookincreased the catch of fish bone needles made it possible to make nets and baskets and to sew hides together for clothing sharp-edged toolsmade it easier to cut and dig scraping toolsmade it easier to clean animal hides
Neolithic Age/Revolution People settled in one area/ causing people to see the need to build houses for protection Systematic agriculture= farming Domestication of animals (human control over animals) No more nomadic lifestyle/ they could stay in one place/ everyone no longer had to farm…other “artisans” come about
Neolithic Age/Revolution Led to the formation of farming Began to create armies/walled cities Built temples and started forming religions Bronze age (bronze= copper +tin)/ better weapons and tools Large numbers of people were concentrated in the river valleys of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China…led to “CIVILIZATIONS”
Civilization Factors needed for a civilization Acquire food on a regular basis Rise of permanent villages Trading goods/ division of labor Emergence of a civilization
Civilization Important Characteristics of a Civilization Cities Government (monarchs) Religion Social structure(based on economic status. Rulers, priests, officials and warriors were the upper classes. Below them was a class of free farmers, traders, artisans and craftspeople. Below them were slaves and servants Writing Art