1. Pre-History
and the
Neolithic Revolution

2. The First Humans
Theories on prehistory and early man constantly change as new evidence comes to light Louis Leakey, British paleoanthropologist

3. Early Discoveries

4. The Paleolithic Age
“Paleolithic” --> “Old Stone” Age
2,500,000 BCE – 10,000 BCE
Made tools
hunting (men) & gathering (women)  small bands of humans
NOMADIC (moving from place to place)

5. Stage 1
4,000,000 BCE – 1,000,000 BCE
Hominids --> any member of the family of two-legged primates that includes all humans.
Australopithecus
An Opposable Thumb

6. Stage 1 HOMO HABILIS ( “Man of Skills” ) found in East Africa.
created stone tools.

7. The Paleolithic Age Purpose??
Humans during this period found shelter in caves.
Cave paintings left behind.
Purpose??

8. Stage 2
1,6000,000 BCE – 30,000 BCE
HOMO ERECTUS ( “Upright Human Being” )
BIPEDALISM
Larger and more varied tools --> primitive technology
First hominid to migrate and leave Africa for Europe and Asia.
First to use fire ( 500,000 BCE )

9. Differing Human Migration Theories
Are we all Africans “under the skin”????

10. Stage 3
200,000 BCE – 10,000 BCE
HOMO SAPIENS ( “Wise Human Being” )
Neanderthals ( 200,000 BCE – 30,000 BCE )
Cro-Magnons ( 40,000 BCE – 10,000 BCE )

11. Stage 3 NEANDERTHALS: Neander Valley, Germany (1856)
First humans to bury their dead.
Made clothes from animal skins.
Lived in caves and tents.

12. Stage 3
NEANDERTHALS
Early Hut/Tent

13. Stage 3 CRO-MAGNONs: Homo sapiens sapiens ( “Wise, wise human” )
By 30,000 BCE they replaced Neanderthals.
WHY???

14. Homo sapiens sapiens in Europe

15. The Last Ice Age
70,000 BCE – 10,000 BCE

16. The Neolithic Age Nomadic lifestyle  settled, stationery lifestyle.
“Neolithic”  “New Stone” Age
10,000 BCE – 4,000 BCE
Gradual shift from:
Nomadic lifestyle  settled, stationery lifestyle.
Hunting/Gathering  agricultural production and domestication of animals.

17. The Agricultural Revolution
8,000 BCE – 5,000 BCE
Agriculture developed independently in different parts of the world.
SLASH-AND-BURN Farming
Middle East India Central America China Southeast Asia
8,000 BCE 7,000 BCE 6,500 BCE 6,000 BCE ,000 BCE

18. The Agricultural Revolution
Why do you think the development of agriculture occurred around the same time in several different places?

19. The Agricultural Revolution? ?
Development
of Agriculture ? ?

20. Why do some archaeologists believe that women were the first farmers?
The Agricultural Revolution
Why do some archaeologists believe that women were the first farmers?

21. Early Settled Communities
Growing crops on a regular basis made possible the support of larger populations.
More permanent, settled communities emerged.
9,000 BCE  Earliest Agricultural Settlement at JARMO ( northern Iraq )  wheat

22. Early Settled Communities
8,000 BCE  Largest Early Settlement at Çatal Hüyük ( Modern Turkey )  6,000 inhabitants
12 cultivated crops
Division of labor
Engaged in trade
Organized religion
An obsidian dagger
Small military

23. Early Settled Communities
Çatal Hüyük

24. The Agricultural Revolution
What role did the food supply play in shaping the nomadic life of hunter-gatherers and the settled life of the farmers?

25. Why is the
"Neolithic Revolution"
a turning point
in human history??

26. What is the
next step in the
development of
human settlements??

27. CITIES !
CIVILIZATIONS !!

28. What are the
characteristics
of a civilization??

29. CIVILIZATION Advanced Cities Advanced Technology Specialized Workers
Record-
Keeping
Complex
Institutions

30. Was the Neolithic Revolution the worst mistake in the history of the human race?