1. What is History
Chapter 1 Lesson 1

2. Why study history What is History? What is a historian?
The study of people and events of the past
It studies the way things changed and ways it stayed the same
It is a story of the ways cultures changed over time
It explains why things are the way they are
Learning about the past helps us understand the present
What is a historian?
A person that studies history

3. measuring time Periods of History Eras Decade – 10 years
Century – 100 years
Ten Centuries – 1000 years – called a Millennium
Eras
Historians divide the past into larger blocks called Eras
Prehistory – first of these eras
Time before people developed writing
Ancient History - 2nd Era
Middle Ages - 3rd Era
Modern History – 4th Era s to Modern days (today)

4. Calendars Calendar Types of Calendars Dating events Timelines
System of arranging days in order
Types of Calendars
Julian Calendar
Gregorian Calendar
Today, most of the world used this calendar
Dating events
B.C. – the time before Christ
A.D. – or anno domini or “in the year of our Lord”
There is no year “0”
B.C.E – before the common era
C.E. – common era
Both used to avoid religious reference
Timelines
Way to track time on a line that shows an order of events

5. Digging up the Past
Archeology – the study of the past by looking at what people left behind
Artifacts – objects made by people
Tools, pottery, weapons, jewelry
Paleontology – looks at prehistoric time (no written language)by examining fossils
Fossils – remains of plants and animal life that have been preserved
Anthropology – study of human culture and how it developed over time
Human discoveries
Lucy – human ancestor that lived 3.2 million years ago
Our species is called Homo Sapiens – ‘wise man’