PREHISTORIC PEOPLE

EXPLORING PREHISTORY

• Hominids: group that includes humans as well as earlier human-like creatures

• Paleo-anthropologists– study the remains of hominid skeletons – Determine what early hominids looked like & how they lived

Archeologists– Study artifacts, objects made & used by hominids– Learn about ancient people & their cultures– Culture is the beliefs, knowledge and the way of life

developed by a group of people.

Human Ancestors

• The earliest known hominids lived in Africa. The earliest hominid bones are about 6 million years old, but not much is known about the very early examples.

Human Ancestors- Ardipithecus• Ardipithecus: appeared about

4.4 million years ago; – lived in Africa (Ethiopia),

nicknamed “Ardi”. – Walked upright on the ground, but

on “all fours” in trees. – About 3 ½ feet tall; ate mostly

fruits & nuts. – Discovered in 1994, but the study

was completed & published in 2009.

Human Ancestors• Australopithecus:

appeared about 4 million years ago– Lived in Africa

(Ethiopia) – Walked upright;

had a larger brain than “Ardi”,

– about 3 ½ feet tall; Ate nuts, roots, other wild plants

“Lucy”• Early hominid skeleton found in

Hadar, Ethiopia by Donald Johansson

• Named “Lucy” after a Beatles song

• “Lucy” is an example of Australopithecus. She lived about 3.2 million years old

• One of the most complete early skeletons, about 40% complete

Human Ancestors – genus “Homo” • Homo Habilis (“handy man”) about 2 ½ million yr. ago

– Lived in Africa; about 4 feet tall, larger brain that Australopithecus.

– One of the first hominid who made stone tools.

– Homo Erectus (“upright man”) about 1 ½ million years ago

– Larger in size, about 5 feet tall, larger brain than Homo Habilis.

– Hunted for food, as well as gathered wild plants

– Used and made fire– Migrated and spread from Africa into Asia.

Homo Sapiens• Two early types• Neanderthals

– Lived about 130,000-35,000 yr. ago. This group died out.

– Wore animal skins; cooked their food; buried their dead with grave gifts & flowers (may have had a belief in life after death)

– Heavier bodies than later Homo Sapiens

• Cro-Magnon– Appeared about 35,000 years ago;

looked essentially like modern humans & were ancestors of modern humans

– Had better tools & weapons– Created beautiful cave art

SEVERAL TYPES OF VIEWS about the origin of HUMANITY

• CREATIONISM: God created humans and all species just are they are today. They have not changed.

• SCIENTIFIC EVOLUTION: Humans and other species evolved naturally, without a creator.

• DEISTIC or THEISTIC EVOLUTION: Humans and other species evolved as scientists believe they did, but the process was guided by God.

Ice Ages

• Periods of colder climate and increased ice have occurred many times in the history of the earth

• Several times within the last 1.7 million years, ice has covered much of the earth.

• During these periods of ice, sea levels dropped and land was exposed in places, making it easier for people and animals to migrate over these land bridges.

3 early ages of humans

• Paleolithic age-old stone age (2 ½ million yr. ago – 12,000 yr. ago)

• Mesolithic age- middle stone age (12,000 yr. ago -10,000 yr. ago)

• Neolithic age-new stone age (10,000 yr. ago-4,000 yr. ago)

3 early ages: PALEOLITHIC AGE

• About 2 ½ million years ago to about 12,000 years ago (about 10,000BC)

• Old Stone Age: “Paleo” means “old”; “lithic” means “stone”

• People: – Used stone tools– Were nomadic– Were hunter-gatherers– Eventually spread through most parts of the world

3 early ages: Mesolithic Age

• About 12,000 years ago (about10,000BC) to about 10,000 years ago (about 8,000BC)

• Middle Stone Age. “meso”-middle. • More sophisticated tools and weapons

– Bow and arrow– Fishhooks (made of bone)– Harpoons (bone and antler)

• Tamed the dog (first domesticated animal)• Used dugout canoes to fish in deeper water

NEOLITHIC AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION!!!!!

• About 10,000 years ago, or 8,000BC, somewhere in the Middle East, northern Iraq or southern Turkey

• Made the discovery that plants grow from seeds and began to plant crops, the first farming!

• Began to herd animals, in addition to hunting. • The changed from food gathering to food

producing is called the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution

• This radically changed human culture!!!

Neolithic Age• About 10,000 years ago (8,000BC) to

about 4,000 years ago (2,000BC).

• Farming (raising crops & herding animals): – Wheat, barley, rice, millet– Sheep, goats, cattle– Eventually used the plow & simple fertilizer

• Better tools including points produced by polishing & grinding.

• People stopped being nomadic& settled in villages, towns, and eventually, cities

Early towns & cities

• Jericho, west bank of the Jordan River, about 8000BC

• Jarmo, present day Iraq, about 6500 BC

• Catalhuyuk, in southern Turkey, about 6700BC.