PreHistory

Chapter IPre-history to 3500 BC

PRE-HISTORYProblems to Solve• TEXT

PRE-HISTORYVocabulary• Historians—people who

study history• Pre-history—the period

before writing was developed

• Archaeology—Study of past societies

• Anthropology—study of human life and culture

PRE-HISTORYVocabulary• Artifacts—tools,

paintings, pottery, weapons, buildings and household items

• Fossils—remains of a living creature

PRE-HISTORYDating Fossils and Artifacts

• Radiocarbon dating• Only accurate up to 50,000 years

• Thermo-luminescence dating• Good up to 200K years

Man• Hominids

• Humans and other creatures that walk upright• Australopithecines

• The first hominids

PRE-HISTORY

Man• Hominids

• Humans and other creatures that walk upright• Homo erectus

• “Upright human beings”

PRE-HISTORY

Man• Hominids

• Humans and other creatures that walk upright• Homo sapiens

• “Wise human being”

PRE-HISTORY

Neanderthals

Homo sapiens sapiens

PRE-HISTORYLife in Paleolithic Planet Earth• Paleolithic Age—

• Hunted and gathered

• Men hunted large animals and gathered; Women gathered and hunted small animals.

• Used simple weapons

• Women raised kids

• Nomadic

PRE-HISTORYNeolithic Revolution• Neolithic means “new stone,” hence the New

Stone Age

• The Change

• a shift from a hunter-gatherer society to systematic agriculture.

• They grew their own crops and domesticated animals for consumption.

PRE-HISTORYNeolithic Revolution• Why was such a change a “revolution”?

• End of the nomadic way of life• Beginning of community

• Crops and Cattle• Wheat and barley• Pigs, cows, goats, and sheep

• Agriculture spread from SW Asia to SE Europe, Nile valley in Egypt to the rest of Africa, India, and then to China and the New World.

PRE-HISTORYNeolithic Revolution• Farming Villages

• Oldest are in SW Asia—Jericho • Catal Hüyük,

Turkey

PRE-HISTORYNeolithic Revolution• Artisans

• As agriculture progressed, people had time to learn other skills and build non-sustaining buildings

• Examples: weaponry, jewelers, religious temples, fortified buildings and walls

• Trade began

PRE-HISTORYEnd of an Age• The New Stone Age ended

• Why?• With the newly found use of metal instead

of stone, tools and life were made easier.• Copper was used first• Then when combined with tin they got

bronze• Thus the beginning of the Bronze Age

PRE-HISTORYDawn of Civilization

• Beginning of Civilization• def.- complex culture in which large numbers

of people share a number of common elements• Six Parts

• Rise of cities• develop in river valleys

• because of the need of water for farming

PRE-HISTORYDawn of Civilization• Government

• to organize agriculture, defense of a city, and armies

• usually monarchs (kings or queens) ruled

• Religion• all civilizations developed a religion

• priests supervised rituals to please the gods

• rulers claimed power by divine approval

PRE-HISTORYDawn of Civilization

• Society becomes structured• Classes develop

• Upper class—rulers and monarchs• Free class—farmers, artisans, and

craftsmen• Slave class

• Advancements• independent by city, sometimes spread• not all advanced as quickly as others

PRE-HISTORYDawn of Civilization

• Writing• first used to create records• the first were numbers, then symbols• all societies eventually use writing• first literature came soon after

• Art• Building structures

• Temples and pyramids• Paintings and sculpture