WHI.02: Early Humans

Objectivesp. 009

WHI.2 The student will demonstrate knowledge of early development of humankind from the Paleolithic Era to the agricultural revolution by

a)explaining the impact of geographic environment on hunter-gatherer societies;

b)listing characteristics of hunter-gatherer societies, including their use of tools and fire;

c)describing technological and social advancements that gave rise to stable communities;

d)explaining how archaeological discoveries are changing present-day knowledge of early peoples.

Essential Understandingsp. 010

1. The life of early hunter-gatherer societies was shaped by their physical environment.

2. Early human societies, through the development of culture, began the process of overcoming the limits set by the physical environment.

3. The beginning of settled agriculture (including permanent settlements) was a major step in the advance of civilization.

4. Archaeologists continue to find and interpret evidence of early humans and their lives.

5. Rivers/waterways were extremely important to early civilizations.

Essential Questionsp. 010

1. More than anything else, what shaped the lives of early hunter-gatherer societies?

2. What were the key characteristics of societies of the Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age)?

3. What were the major characteristics of the Neolithic Era (New Stone Age)?

4. Why were river valleys important to the development civilization?

5. How did the beginning of agriculture and the domestication of animals promote the rise of settled communities?

Why do I need to know this?p. 010

1. Early humans’ discoveries helped them survive, grow in numbers, and spread across the globe to inhabit the areas we live in today.

2. New methods for obtaining food and the development of technology laid the foundations for modern civilizations.

3. Contemporary civilizations share the same characteristics typical of ancient civilizations.

4. All major modern cities are located on a river or other body of water.

Human Origins in Africa

p. 11-13

Scientists search for Human Originsp. 011

1. prehistory (p.7) – the time in history before writing

2. archaeologists(p.7) – scientists who learn about early peoples by study the remains of their civilizations

3. artifacts(p.7) – remains (tools, jewelry, etc.) of an earlier people (ex. tools, jewelry, pottery, etc.)

4. culture(p.7) – a people's unique way of life

5. carbon dating* – to see how old some artifacts are

6. Stonehenge* is an example of and archaeological site in England that was begun during

the Neolithic and completed during the Bronze Age

7. hominid (p.8) – humans and other creatures who walk upright

8. 1974 – Donald Johanson (p.8) discovered the oldest hominid found to date

a. named her "Lucy (p.8) "

Archaeologists

Artifacts

Stonehenge

Paleolithic Era (Old Stone Age)p. 011

1. Australopithecus (p.8) (4 million to 1 million B.C.)

a. what “Lucy” was

b. first humanlike creature to walk upright

2. Homo Habilis (p.9) (2.5 million to 1.5 million B.C.)

a. first hominid to use tools to cut meat and crack open bones

3. Homo Erectus (p.9) (1.6 million to 30,000 B.C.)

a. developed technology (p.9)– ways of applying knowledge, tools and inventions to

meet their needs

b. were skillful hunters

c. first to migrate from Africa (p.9) to Southeast Asia and Europe (p.9)

d. first to use fire and spoken language (p.9)

e. created cave art

Australopithecus

Australopithecus

Homo Erectus

Cave Art

Homo Erectus Migrations

Humans (Homo Sapiens)p. 011

1. emerged in East Africa somewhere between 100,000 and 400,000* years ago

2. migrated from Africa to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas.

3. Neanderthals (p.10-11) (200,000 to 30,000 B.C.)

a. developed religious beliefs and rituals and performed funerals

b. lived in caves and temporary shelters

4. Cro-Magnons (p.12) (40,000 to 8,000 B.C.)

a. cooperated with one another and planned their hunts

b. skeleton show that they are identical to modern humans

5. Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons overlapped for 10,000 years, causing a competition for land

and resources

Homo Sapiens Migration

Homo Sapiens

The Future of Evolution

1 million years 2 million years 3 million years 4 million years in the future in the future in the future in the future

The Future of Evolution

Hunter-Gatherersp. 013

1. earlier hominids (Australopithecus up through Cro-Magnon) were nomads

a. nomads – wanderers from place to place (p.12)

2. hunter-gatherers – nomads whose food supply depended on hunting animals and

collecting plants (p.12)

3. their lives were shaped by their environment

Neolithic Revolution

p. 13

Neolithic Agep. 013

1. Paleolithic Age (400,000-10,000 B.C.) – old stone age

2. Neolithic (New Stone) Age began around 10,000 B.C.

3. beginnings of agriculture

4. began planting seeds and growing their own food

a. slash and burn farming (p.14) – method of farming where people cut trees and grass and burned them to clear a field; ashes fertilized the soil

b. developed advanced tools for agriculture

5. made pottery and developed weaving skills

6. domestication – taming of animals (p.14)

7. allowed for humans to remain in one location*

8. villages began appearing in river valleys*

a. provided drinking water* for humans and animals and

b. was a source of water for crops and plants*

c. was a source of food* – fishing and hunting any wild animals that came to get a drink

d. used for transportation and trade* – easier than traveling overland

9. Metal Ages

Cities with more than a million in population

Villages Grow Into Cities

p. 13-15

Economic Changesp. 013

1. built irrigation systems to produce surplus crops

2. food surpluses freed some villagers to pursue other jobs and to develop skills besides farming (p.17)

3. two important inventions that enabled traders to transport more goods over longer distances were the wheel and the sail (p.17)

Social Changesp. 013

1. social classes(p. 17) with varying wealth, power and influence emerged

2. farming peoples worshipped gods based on the forces of nature(p. 18)

Early Villages and Citiesp. 015

1. Catal Huyuk(p. 16) – the oldest village ever found (in south-central Turkey)

a. roughly 6,000 people and made religious shrines dedicated to a mother-goddess

2. Aleppo and Jericho are two examples of early cities in the Fertile Crescent

Five Characteristics of a Civilizationp. 015

1. Advanced Cities(p. 18) – birthplaces of the first civilizations

a. have a center of trade, villages do not

2. Specialized Workers(p. 18)

a. specialization(p. 18) – development of skills in a specific kind of work

b. artisans(p. 18) – skilled workers who make things by hand (jewelry, weapons, clothing)

c. an economy based off of bartering* (trading) developed

3. Complex Institutions(p. 18)

a. institutions (p.18) – long lasting pattern of organization within a community

a. a system of ruling became necessary – government(p. 18)

b. religions(p. 18) – created temples and worship rituals

Five Characteristics of a Civilizationp. 015

4. Advanced Technology(p. 19)

a. new tools for farming like the ox-drawn plow

b. Bronze Age (p. 19)– people began using bronze instead of copper to fashion tools and weapons

5. Record Keeping(p. 18)

a. priests needed some way to keep track of the yearly calendar and important rituals

b. merchants had to record accounts of debts and payments

c. scribes(p. 18) – professional record keepers

City

Specialization

Government

Schools

Technology

Record Keeping