1. Prehistory 101

2. What is History?
Is the study of the past (a long, long, long, time ago)
“HIS” “STORY”- a story, that someone used to tell how an event took place.
What are some topics you have learned about in the World’s history?

3. How far back will we study
We will study from 10,000 BC, and travel all the way to the A.D. 1600’s
That means our class will study about 26,000 years worth of History!!!!
Ancient Civilization II in 2 ½ minutes

4. An Introduction to Primary and Secondary Sources

5. What are primary sources?
Original records from the past recorded by people who were:
Involved in the event
Witnessed the event, OR
Knew the persons involved in the event

6. What are primary sources?
They can also be objects (artifacts) or visual evidence.
They give you an idea about what people alive at the time saw or thought about the event.

7. What are primary sources?
Keep in mind that a primary source reflects only one point of view and may contain a person’s bias (prejudice) toward an event.

8. Examples of primary sources:
Printed Publications
Books, magazines, newspapers

9. Examples of primary sources:
Personal Records
Diaries, journals, records

10. Examples of primary sources:
Visual Materials
photographs, film, maps

11. Examples of primary sources:
Artifacts
Tools, ornaments, objects

12. What are secondary sources?
Secondary sources are made at a later time.
They include written information by historians or others AFTER an event has taken place.

13. What are secondary sources?
Although they can be useful and reliable, they cannot reflect what people who lived at the time thought or felt about the event.
But they can represent a more fair account of the event because they can include more than one point of view, or may include information that was unavailable at the time of the event.

14. Examples of secondary sources:
Textbooks, biographies, histories, newspaper report by someone who was not present

15. Examples of secondary sources:
Charts, graphs, or images created AFTER the time period.

16. How do we Learn about the past?
Some people make careers out of learning about the past. People who study the past are called:
Archaeologist
Anthropologists
Geologist
Sociologist
Historians

17. Historian Definition:
A person who studies the past trying to give an objective interpretation of it.
This area is more general

18. Archeologist
Studies the past by using artifacts to discover clues to ancient civilizations and mysteries.

20. Archaeologist find Artifacts

21. Anthropologist
Studies the past by looking at the culture of a specific group or civilization

22. Anthropologist

23. Geologist
Studies the past by examining rocks and minerals to identify climate and other natural patterns of the past

24. Geologist

26. Here are a few ideas
Helps us understand who we are today, by knowing where we come from.
Insights to how the ancient cultures worked and functioned, so we may apply this information to ourselves.
Because it is fun to learn about.

27. What is this B.C. and AD???
25 million (plus) years ago to year 0 (dates count Backwards) Example 3,000, 2,999, 2,998, 2,997
B.C. (Before Christ)
B.C.E. (Before The Common Era)
Year 1 to ??? (dates count Forward)
Example 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
C.E. (Common Era)
A.D. (Anno Domini, "In the Year of Our Lord").

28. What is Prehistory???
What do you think Prehistory is? Make a prediction on your paper.
Prehistory- Life before written language.
Early Man