1. HUMAN BEGINNINGS
AFRICA

2. Chapter 1 – section 1
Prehistory – before the written word (5500 years ago)
First human like creatures – 4.4 million years ago in Africa
Hominids – human beings and human like creatures
Anthropology – scientific study of hominids
Paleontologists- study fossils
Archeologists – unearth and interpret opjects (artifacts)

3. Dating and Findings Radiocarbon dating – technique to determine age
All once living things have radio carbon and it decays at a known rate
DNA has advanced the dating process
Gen Suwa found the oldest teeth at a site
-Tim D. White (Aramis) – in Ethiopia Africa million years old

4. Lucy
45 miles north at Hadar – Donald Johanson – discovered 3.2 million year old skeleton “Lucy”.
Later found males and females were different size, walked upright and climbed in trees
Found skull 4 million years old
Australopithecus - First humans –
walked on 2 legs, had
had large faces that jutted out, small
brains, flat noses and large teeth
Lived in Africa – nomadic
Homo – means human, named all humans after this point

5. Hominid Groups Scientists divided Homo – humans – into 3 groups
Homo habilis “person with ability” – earliest –lived up to 1.5 million years ago
Homo erectus “person who walks upright” – 100,000 tp 200,000 years ago
Homo sapiens – “person who thinks” today

6. Ice Ages
Between 2 million and 10,000 years ago -4 long periods of cold
Only the middle lat. Could support human life
Oceans dropped 300 feet
Fire and clothing became essential for survival
Human Culture – way of life (language, religion, tools, etc.)
Use of tools
Technology – the skills and knowledge to survive

7. The Stone Age Period before writing 3 periods of time
1. Paleolithic – oldest 2.5 million years ago
2. Mesolithic – middle stone age (12,000 BC to 8000 BC)
3. Neolithic BC to 5000 BC

8. Paleolithic Hunter Gatherers
Homo Habilis – 1st Qrt. Of Paleolithic period
Oldest to manufacture tools
Larger brains
Louis and Mary Leak – much research done by this pair at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania
Homo Erectus – gatherers until 500,000 years ago
they became hunters (males)
Fire – huge discovery
Clothing - animal skins
Migrations – Homo erectus might have been the first to migrate to Europe and Asia
Language – gestures and grunts until about 50,000 years ago
Important to pass down their stories

9. Chapter 1 –section 2 (Homo Sapiens)
200,000 years ago
Neanderthals – 1st
Named after Neander Valley in Germany
Stood 5.5 feet tall, larger brains than modern humans, stocky thick boned
More advanced tools – spears
Lived in 35 to 50 person groups
Nomadic cave dwellers
May have been the 1st to practice medicine, and life after death

10. Homo Sapien Sapiens
Modern humans – dominated the continent 30,000 years ago
Cro-Magnons – earliest Sapien Sapiens
Taller but less robust
Better technology – stone axes, rafts, spears, bow and arrow
Law and order to hunt together – moved from caves to permanent homes
Cave painting – Lascaux and Vallon Pont-d’arc – both in France
Identify prey? or Religion?

11. Neolithic Revolution
5000 years ago people started to produce food –Agriculture, domesticating animals- tame for human purpose
Middle East – earliest agriculture – 3000 years before America or China