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PREHISTORY1st SECONDARY EDUCATION

Así Hablo Zaratustra (Amanecer)Richard Strauss  (1864 – 1949)

D. Mariano Llorente

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Objectives

•understanding archaeology and anthropology

•identify the early stages of human development

•list the characteristics of the Paleolithic & Neolithic Age.

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PRE-HISTORY

STONE AGE METAL AGE

Bronze Age Iron AgeNeolithicPaleolithic

The period extending from the origin of the human being to the invention of writing.

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Human Origins

Australopithecus Early Homo sp H sapiens

Neanderthals

Mya

5 4 3 2 1

0.1

0

Mya = million years agoBirth of Jesus was 0.002 Mya

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Paleolithic Age• This is the period which extends from the

appearance of our first ancestors to about 10,000.

• Life was very hard. They were nomadic.• Human beings used tools and lived on

hunting and gathering.• Fire, was one of the most important

discoveries.

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Paleolithic Age

Stone Age people were skilled at tool

making. They used materials from

different sources to make a variety of

tools designed for a particular job.Click on this picture to find out what

kit they might have been carrying with them

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Paleolithic Age

• Paleolithic men believed in the existence of supernatural forces that helped them.

• In order to make these divinities propitious, tribes decorated their caves with paintings: cave artcave art

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Paleolithic Cave Art from Lascaux (Dordogne, France)

(About 17000 Ya)

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Paleolithic Cave Art from Altamira (Santillana del Mar, Spain)

15,000 years ago, in the Upper Palaeolithic

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Neolithic Age• The Neolithic Revolution refers to the Greek

word “Neolithic” which means New Stone• This term however,

is a bit misleadingas it represents moreof a shift in agriculture.

• Neolithic men settle down and lived in villages practicing domestication of agriculture and cattle.

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Systematic Agriculture

• The Neolithic Age represents a shift to Systematic Agriculture

• This is a shift from hunting and gathering to domesticating animals and food.

• Domestication refers to the adaptation of animals or agriculture for human use

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Domestication of Agriculture and animals

• What are some of the benefits of domestication of animals?

1. No chasing around animals from season to season2. Meat3. Milk4. Wool

• What are some of the benefits of domestication of agriculture?

1. Food can now be acquired on a regular basis2. No moving from season to season trying to find agriculture

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End of the Neolithic Age

• Sadly, the Neolithic Age declined because of the use of metal

• Metal marks a new type of control over human environment

• Copper was the first metal to be used around 4000 B.C. for use in tools

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Early Humans

Archaeologists dig up and look at items left behind by past humans. This process is known as archaeology.

Anthropologists use artifacts (tools, pottery, paintings, weapons, buildings and household items) and fossils to study human life and culture. This is known as anthropology.

Historians rely on written records but there was a time before writing existed. This is known as prehistory.

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Early Stages of Development

Click on the words to learn more about early humans.

*The earliest humanlike creatures lived in Africa as long as three to four million years ago.

australopithecus

Homo erectus Homo sapiens

Homo habilis

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Australopithecus•“southern apes” that were in eastern and southern Africa. Similar to chimpanzees.

• 5 million years ago.

•first hominids (creatures walking upright) to make simple tools

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Homo Habilis• lived from approximately 2.5 million to 1.8

million years ago • H. habilis was the least similar to modern

humans of all species to be placed in the genus Homo

• intelligence and social organization of H. habilis were more sophisticated

• made tools and lived on hunting and gathering

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Homo Erectus•”upright human being”

•emerged around 1.5 million years ago

•first to move to Europe and Asia

•technical development. Discovered fire.

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Homo Sapiens

•”wise human beings”

•subgroups Neanderthals and Homo sapiens sapiens.

•developed about 250,000 years ago

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Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon and modern

Low forehead,prominent eyebrow ridges

Very similar to us

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Practice Your Skills

1. study of the past through what people have left behind archaeology prehistory

Click on the yellow word that is correct.

2. the period before writing was developed prehistory anthropology 3. tools, pottery, paintings, weapons, buildings, and household items of early people anthropology artifacts

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1. study of the past through what people have left behind is

archaeology

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Try Again

Historians rely on written records but there was a time before writing existed. This is known as prehistory.

BACKBACK

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2. Historians rely on written records but there was a time before writing existed. This is known as prehistory.

BACKBACK

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Try Again

Anthropologists use artifacts and fossils to study human life and culture. This is known as anthropology.

BACKBACK

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3. tools, pottery, paintings, weapons, buildings, and household items of early people are known as

artifacts

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Check Your SkillsOn a separate sheet of paper, match the correct answer.

1. _____ “wise human beings”

2. _____ first hominids (creatures walking upright) to make simple tools

3. _____ “upright human beings”

a. Australopithecines

b. Homo Erectus

c. Homo Sapiens

Click this box to check answers

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Check Answers

1. C “wise human beings”

2. A first hominids (creatures walking upright) to make simple tools

3. B “upright human beings”

a. Australopithecines

b. Homo Erectus

c. Homo Sapiens

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Practice Your Skills

Use a separate sheet of paper to write your answers down. Pick a word from the bank to answer each question.

Word BankWord Bank

nomads lodging fire

hunted gathering old

1. People who move place to place are called ___________.

2. ____________ was very important for the people to survive.

3. The Paleolithic Age means the “________ Stone Age.”

Click this box to check answers

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Checking the Answers1. People who move place to place are called nomads.

2. Fire was very important for the people to survive.

3. The Paleolithic Age means the “Old Stone Age.”

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Super Job completing the lesson!

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Credits

• Mr. Connors and Ms. Kallestad(Eagan High School)

• Duncan Shaw(www.abdn.ac.uk/~gen155/lectures/restut.ppt)