Civilization Begins Prehistory and Early Man World History
Prehistory Time before any written records To tell the story of the past, historians/archaeologists depend on artifacts to formulate hypothesis about what happened As more information about the past is uncovered it is possible that what we believe today could all be proven wrong
Early Man Earliest human-like creatures, hominids, were found in Africa Lived approximately three to four million years ago Man went through many stages, becoming more sophisticated with each
Early Man: Developments Australopithicus_______ Homo Habilis Stone tools Homo Erectus Fire NeanderthalHunting Cro-Magnon Cave paintings
Modern Humans: Homo Sapiens Cultivated crops Lived in houses (mud) Domesticated herds (goat, sheep) Made pottery Wove cloth Later would use metal in tools and weapons, form cities, and create a writing system
Neolithic Revolution: 10,000 B.C.E. This is the initial discovery of how to grow food; people became primarily food producers rather than food gatherers Surplus, or extra food, was the chief reason for the growth of civilizations Fewer people were needed to farm which allowed people to explore other occupations These occupations included: toolmakers, carpenters, traders, weavers, etc. People with different jobs makes a civilization more complex
Stages of Development in Civilization 1. Culture- people’s behavior, skills, arts, ideas and values. Began through the sharing of tools and food. 2. Society- people who share the same culture, use the same tools, speak the same language and share ideas. 3. Civilization- systems of culture and society
Characteristics of Civilization Civilization- complex cultures that have: (1) division of labor, (2) systems of writing/record keeping (3)advanced technical skills (4) advanced cities and (5) government and/or other complex institutions like religion or education Civilization began with the Neolithic Revolution – this allowed people to settle down and become more advanced Some still lived by hunting and gathering