1. Chapter 1: Prehistory – 300 B.C.
World History
Chapter 1: Prehistory – 300 B.C.

2. Section 1
Understanding Our Past

3. Geography and History Geography
Study of people, their environment and the resources available to them
Five themes that show the relationship between geography and human history
Location
Relative Location
Where one place is located in relation another place
Exact Location
Determined by latitude and longitude
Example: Seoul, South Korea is located at 37ºN, 127ºE

4. Geography and History (Con’t)
Place
The physical features and human characteristics of that location
Human-Environment Interaction
How humans have been shaped by the environment and vice versa
Movement
The movement of people, goods and ideas
Trade is a major example

5. Geography and History (Con’t)
Region
Division of the world based on different characteristics
Missouri is in the Region called the Midwest, or Breadbasket
Iraq is located in the Region called the Middle East

6. How Do We Know? Prehistory Anthropology
Long period of time before the invention of writing systems
History passed on by stories
Anthropology
Origins and development of people and their societies

7. How Do We Know? (Con’t) Archaeology
Find and analyze the material remains of humans and animals
Artifacts
Objects made by human beings
Tools, weapons, pottery, etc.
Today, Archaeologist have traced the development of technology
They also use modern technology to study and interpret their findings

8. How Do We Know? (Con’t) Geologist Historians
Study the rocks to help determine the age of artifacts and conditions on earth at that time
Historians
Study how people lived in the past
They study artifacts and especially written documents
Desire to understand the questions… Who? What? Where? When? And most importantly… Why?

9. Section 2
The Dawn of History

10. The Old Stone Age Also known as the Paleolithic Age African Beginnings
2 million B.C. to 10,000 B.C.
African Beginnings
Oldest humanlike bones found in Africa
Theory suggest life started in Africa

11. The Old Stone Age (Con’t)
Hunters and Food Gathers
Paleolithic people were nomads
Moving place to place as they followed game animals and ripening fruit
Used very primitive weapons
Eventually developed spoken language
Lived through ice ages
Development of glaciers throughout earth

12. Early Religious Beliefs
Use of animism
Belief the world is full of spirits and forces that reside in animals, objects and dreams
Eventually people began burying their dead

13. The Neolithic Agricultural Revolution
Development of the New Stone Age
Learned to farm around 11,000 B.C.
Some people moved away from being nomadic
Also began domesticating animals
The population began to explode
No greater change in population would happen again till around 1700’s A.D.
Development of wealth with the growth of individual’s personal property

14. New Technology Development of:
Calendars
Use of oxen or water buffalos to plow
Better, more smooth tools
Weaving of clothing begins
Technologies were not the same in all parts of the world
Neolithic period led to the creation of civilizations

15. Section 3
Beginnings of Civilizations

16. The Rise of Cities Civilization River Valley Civilizations (RVC)
Complex, highly organized social order
First began developing along River Valleys
River Valley Civilizations (RVC)
Tigris and Euphrates in Middle East
Nile River in Egypt
Indus River in India
Yellow River in China

17. The Rise of Cities (Con’t)
Common conditions:
Rivers flooded annually
Animals flock to rivers
Regular water supply and for of transportation
Development of walls, temples, palaces, etc.

18. Features of Civilization
Cities
Organized Government
Started out ruled by elders or priest
Then powerful rulers took and claimed power from Gods
Became more complex as laws, taxes and systems of defense developed

19. Features of Civilization (Con’t)
Complex Religions
Most were polytheistic
Believed in many Gods
Used ceremonies like construction of temples and sacrifices to appease the God’s
Job specialization
Development of artisans, or skilled craft workers
No longer could one person specializes in all crafts

20. Features of Civilization (Con’t)
Social Classes
Ranking based on jobs
Priest normally top and slaves lowest
Arts and Architecture
Expressed the beliefs and values of the people
Normally beautiful temples, statues etc.

21. Features of Civilization (Con’t)
Public Works
Irrigation systems
Roads
Bridges
Defensive walls
Writing
Earliest writings were pictograms
Drawings representing objects
Only scribes learned to read

22. Spread of Civilization
Developed into city-states
A political unit that included a city and its surrounding lands
Power struggles help build empires
A group of states or territories under one ruler
Nomads continued their way of life, many on steppes

23. Civilizations and Change
Environments greatly changed human life in these civilizations
Droughts
Floods
Volcanic eruptions
Could be human caused
Over farming
Overuse of resources

24. Civilizations and Change (Con’t)
Development of Cultural Diffusion
Spread of ideas, customs and technologies from one people to another
Trade the biggest reason for cultural diffusion
Warfare caused forceful cultural diffusion many times