1. PALEOLITHIC AND NEOLITHIC SOCIETIES TO THE RISE OF CITIES
PRE-HISTORY
PALEOLITHIC AND NEOLITHIC SOCIETIES TO THE RISE OF CITIES

2. EVOLUTION OF HUMAN SOCIETY
The Hominids
Australopithecus
Appeared in east Africa about 4 million to 1 million years ago
The term means "the southern ape" but it belongs to hominids
Walked upright on two legs, well-developed hands
Fashioned stone tools, probably knew how to use fire later
Homo erectus
Flourished 1.5 million to 200,000 years ago, east Africa
The term means "upright walking human"
Large brain, sophisticated tools, definitely knew how to control fire
Developed language skills in well-coordinated hunts of large animals
Migrations of Homo erectus
First migrated to north Africa
Between 500,000 and 200,000 years ago migrated to Asia and Europe

3. PALEOLITHIC AGE Homo sapiens Migrations of Homo sapiens
The term means "consciously thinking human"
Evolved as early as 250,000 years ago
Brain with large frontal regions for conscious and reflective thought
The advantages of intelligence over other species
Migrations of Homo sapiens
Beginning more than 100,000 years ago, spread throughout Eurasia
Several ice ages between 120 and 25 thousand years ago
Land bridges enabled them to populate Indonesia and New Guinea
Arrived in Australia between 60,000 and 120,000 years ago
Between 40,000 and 25,000 years ago, migrated to North America
The natural environment
Homo sapiens used knives, spears, bows, and arrows
Brought tremendous pressure on other species

4. PALEOLITHIC CULTURE Neandertal peoples Cro-Magnon peoples
Named after the site of the Neander valley in S.W. Germany
Flourished in Europe and S.W. Asia between 100 and 35 thousand years ago
Careful, deliberate burials-evidence of a capacity for emotion and feelings
Cro-Magnon peoples
The first human beings of fully modern type, appeared 40,000 years ago
Classified as Homo sapiens sapiens
A noticeable interest in fashion and artistic production
Social Organization
Small family units, clans of generally no more than people
Organized hunting bands, led by elders with greatest knowledge of hunting, gathering
Women could be leaders
Venus figurines
Besides jewelry and furniture, there were also Venus figurines and paintings
The figurines reflect a deep interest in fertility
Cave paintings
Best known are Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain
Subjects: mostly animals; Purposes: aesthetic, "sympathetic magic

5. ORIGINS OF AGRICULTURE
Neolithic era
"New stone age" - refined tools and agriculture
Time period: from about 12,000 to 6,000 years ago
Most likely, Paleolithic women began systematic cultivation of plants
Paleolithic men began to domesticate animals
"Agricultural transition" is better than "agricultural revolution"
Early agriculture
The earliest evidence found between 10,000 to 8000 B.C.E.
Slash-and-burn cultivation involved frequent movement of farmers
About 5000 B.C.E., agriculture well-established in Asia and Americas
The spread of agriculture
Advantages of cultivation over hunting and gathering
Developed indigenously in several different cultural hearths
Agriculture provided a surplus

6. EARLY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY
Population explosion caused by surplus
Emergence of villages and towns
Jericho, earliest known Neolithic village (north of the Dead Sea)
Agricultural society, supplemented by hunting and limited trade
Mud huts and defensive walls
Specialization of labor
Neolithic site of Çatal Hüyük (south-central Anatolia)
Developed into a bustling town with more than 8,000 inhabitants
Craft industries - pottery, metallurgy, and textile production
Ruling class, priestly, craftsmen, and merchants were common
Social distinctions
Agriculture brought about private land ownership
Social classes emerged, as seen in Çatal Hüyük site
Beliefs
Neolithic peoples celebrated deities associated with life cycle
Increasing deification, anthropomorphism of nature, seasons
Increasing masculinization of deities

8. ORIGINS OF URBAN LIFE Emergence of cities
Tended to emerge in hostile environments
Harsh environments required stronger organization
Cities were larger and more complex
Cities influenced life of large regions
Earliest cities in Southern Mesopotamia
Other hearths of urban civilization
Indus River Valley
Nile River Valley
River Valley of the Huang He
Coastal Jungles of Mexico