CHAPTER 1: TOWARD CIVILIZATION PREHISTORY –3000 B.C.

Geography and History Geography  Study of people, their environments, and the resources available to them.

Geography and History, cont’d  5 themes sum up the impact of geography on the human story 1.Location 2.Place 3.Human-Environment Interaction 4.Movement 5.Region

Location Tells where a place is on the surface of the Earth. Latitude  Measures distance north or south of the Equator Longitude  Measures distance east or west of the Prime Meridian. Relative Location  Where one place is located in relation to another.

Place Described in terms of their physical features and human characteristics. Including:  Landforms  Bodies of water  Climate  Soil quality  Resources  Plant and animal life

Human-Environment Interaction Humans shape and are shaped by the places in which they live.  Ex: roads slice through deserts

Movement Movement of people, goods, and ideas is a key link between geography and history.

Region Regions are divided based on:  physical characteristics  Political features  Economic features  Cultural features

How do we know? Prehistory  The long period of time before people invented systems of writing Prehistory people had no  Cities  Countries  Organized central government  Complex inventions

Anthropology Studying the origins and development of people and their society  Origins of human life  Variety of human culture

Archaeology Specialized branch of anthropology Study of past people and cultures Study artifacts  Objects made by human beings  Include tools, weapons, pottery, clothing and jewelry

Historians Reconstruct the Past Historians study how people lived in the past  Study artifacts  Rely more heavily on written evidence  Must evaluate the evidence to determine if its reliable  Must explain what the evidence means  Try to give a straightforward account of events

Section 2: The Dawn of History

The Old Stone Age The earliest period of human history. Paleolithic Age From 2 million B.C. to about 10,000 B.C.

African Beginnings 1959 pieces of bone found in Tanzania 1974 found part of a hominid skeleton in Ethiopia named “Lucy” Earliest people lived in East Africa

Hunters and Gatherers

Nomads Moving from place to place as they followed game animals and ripening fruit.

Early Religious Beliefs Animism  Belief that the world was full of spirits and forces that might reside in animals, objects or dreams. Found cave and rock paintings portraying animals Found small stone statues that probably had religious meaning

The Neolithic Agricultural Revolution New Stone Age or Neolithic age Nomadic bands learned to farm about 11,000 years ago Settled into permanent villages Developed a new range of skills and tools People learned to domesticate animals

Section 3: Beginnings of Civilization

The Rise of Cities Main feature of civilization Civilization  A complex, highly organized social order The first cities emerged after farmers began cultivating fertile lands along river valleys and producing extra food.

Features of Civilization 1. Cities 2. Well-organized central government 3. Complex religions 4. Job specialization 5. Social classes 6. Arts and architecture 7. Public works 8. Writing

Organized Governments Forms of government arose to produce large amounts of food and oversee irrigation projects. Became more complex as rulers issued laws, collected taxes, and organized systems of defense.

Complex Religions Polytheistic  Belief in many gods Sun River Birth Trade War  Built temples and sacrificed animals, crops and humans

Job Specialization For the first time, people began specializing in one job  Artisans  Bricklayers  Soldiers  Merchants  Singers, dancers, storytellers

Social Classes People became ranked according to their jobs  Top – priests and nobles  Next – wealthy merchants and artisans  Next – majority – peasants  Bottom – slaves

Arts and Architecture Temples and palaces dominated the city scenery Reassured people of the strength and power of their government and religion

Public Works Rulers ordered the building of vast public works in order to benefit the city  Irrigation systems, roads, bridges, walls  Protect from attack and ensure food supply

Writing Earliest writing – pictograms (simple drawings) Symbols added – stand for things a picture couldn’t express Scribes – educated men, kept records for priests, rulers, and merchants

Spread of Civilization City-state  A political unit that included a city and its surrounding lands and villages.  Rulers, nobles and priest often controlled the land outside the city and forced peasants to grow crops on it. Empire  Group of states or territories controlled by one ruler.

Interactions Among People Cultural diffusion  Spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one people to another  Occurred through migration, trade, and warfare