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Section 1The First PeopleChapter 1 The Beginnings of Civilization

Prehistory to 1000 BC

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Studying the Distant Past

• Anthropologists study culture and artifacts

Anthropologists

Studies human material remains

Archaeologists

Excavate sites to find objects that

will give them clues

New findings are constantly revising our knowledge of

history

33Human Origins

• Key Discoveries• Mary Leakey finds “Nutcracker Skull” in East Africa. 1.75

million years old. • Donald Johanson found partial skeleton called Lucy in

Ethiopia. • ML finds footprints in Tanzania - oldest evidence of

hominids walking upright. 3.5 million years old• 2001 skull resembling both Australopithicine and

chimpanzee found in Central Africa. 6-7 million years old• Walking upright = free to use hands for handling tools

44Human Origins

• Modern Humans• Everyone today is a Homo sapien, means “wise man.” Had

larger brains than earlier species• Developed sophisticated tools, shelter, and learned to use

fire• May be the first with spoken

language because of increased brain function• Cooperate• Hunt in groups• Resolve issues• Form stronger relationships

and interact with others

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Spreading Around the World

• Early humans began to move because of the change in climate.

• 1.6 million years ago, earth cycled between cold and warm periods revealing new areas of land. (Ice Age)

• Ability to walk upright and control fire enabled migration out of Africa into the other continents. By 9000 BC humans spread to all but Antarctica

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Spreading Around the World

• Adaptation to new environments causes genetic variety• One view – two groups of modern humans• Neanderthals (200,000-30,000 years ago). Died out. May

not have been homo sapiens• Cro-Magnons (40,000 years ago). Sturdy

and muscular, looked like humans today. Made tools, and had better hunting and survival skills

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Life in the Stone Age

• First humans lived in the Paleolithic Era, the early part of the Stone Age – people made tools from stone (2.5 million to 10,000 years ago)

• People were nomadic, hunted and gathered food, and men and women were equal

• Later learned to work with wood and bone. Led to better tools which improved hunting

• Other tools: • string from plant fiber = net for fish and small animals• Bow and arrow, bone hooks, fishing spears• Canoe for travel• Needle from bone = animal skin clothing, shoes, hats, carrying sacks

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Life in the Stone Age

• Began to form societies of shared cultures, which included language, art, and spiritual beliefs

• Cro-Magnons and other Stone Age people produced a variety of art from coal, clay, and iron

• Scholars unsure about meaning of art. Anthropologists think they practiced animism, belief that all things in nature have spirits.

9READING CHECK!

1. What methods are used to study the distant past?

2. What does evidence suggest about human origins?

3. How did early people spread around the world?

4. How did early people adapt to life in the Stone Age?

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Section 2The Beginning of Agriculture Chapter 1 The Beginnings of Civilization

Prehistory to 1000 BC

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Development of Agriculture

• New tools that were polished and grinded instead of chipped led to Neolithic Era – New Stone Age

• 10,000 years ago, people learned to farm. Turning point because it changed the way people lived.

• Plants – learned to grow the best seeds and domesticated wild plants to produce larger food supplies

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Development of Agriculture

• Domesticated animals led to larger and more reliable food supply• Dogs among the first. Used for hunting and guarding• Cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep used for meat, milk, and

clothing• Large animals used for pulling heavy loads and farming

• The development of agriculture and domestication of animals happened independently around the world at different times. It spread slowly through trade and travel.

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Agriculture Changes Society

• By 6000 BC, early farming led to growth of villages and cities as more people settled together. Led to:• Job specialization – people performing different tasks in the

group• Extra food for trade• Differences in social status because of wealth and influence• Religion• War with other societies for more land and resources• Spread of diseases like flu, measles, and smallpox

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Development of Agriculture

• New technologies• Use of animals and new tools led to better farming and food

preparation techniques (like pottery for cooking and storing food)

• Learned to spin yarn from wool of goats and sheep to make blankets and clothes

• Learned to use metal, first copper then bronze (a mix of copper and tin).

• Bronze was harder and stronger. Led to Bronze Age in 3000 BC

15READING CHECK!

1. What new tools and technologies did early humans develop during the New Stone Age?

2. How did early agriculture develop and spread?

3. In what ways did the development of agriculture change Stone Age Society?

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Section 3Foundations of Civilization Chapter 1 The Beginnings of Civilization

Prehistory to 1000 BC

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From Villages to Cities

• Development of irrigation led to farming more land and producing surpluses of food to support large populations and trade

• Less people needed to farm created other jobs in the village like weavers, potters, and religious leaders – division of labor

• Leaders began to make decisions for the village

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From Villages to Cities

CHARACTERISTICS OF CITIES

• Larger and more populated than villages

• Diverse people• Formal organization (city

centers, government buildings, boundaries/walls)

• Centers of trade

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The First Civilizations

• Civilizations formed from early cities usually near fertile river valleys. Examples:• Ur and Uruk near Tigris and

Euphrates rivers, Middle East • Memphis on the Nile River, Africa• Mohenjo Daro on the Indus River,

India• Anyang near the Huange He

(Yellow River), China

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The First Civilizations

• Civilizations had:1. Developed cities2. Organized government (decision making and building

projects)3. Formalized religion (ceremonies and rituals)4. Division of labor5. Social classes (based on occupation, wealth, and

influence)6. Record keeping and writing (track history, calendars)7. Art and architecture (symbols of power and ruler’s

prestige)

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Change in Civilizations

• Environmental influences (floods, droughts, storms, etc.) led to expansion in trade to get scarce resources

• Cultural diffusion – spread of ideas, beliefs, customs, and technology from one people to anther because of :• Trade• Migration• Conquest

• Competition for resources led to war and conflict. Nomads became skilled warriors to protect their herds

22READING CHECK!

1. Why did some early villages develop into cities?

2. What characterized the world’s first civilizations and where did they develop?

3. What factors cause civilizations to change over time?

Quick-Write

• Which characteristics of civilizations do you predict were most beneficial in helping the first civilizations grow and endure?

1.Developed cities2.Organized

government 3.Formalized religion 4.Division of labor5.Social classes 6.Record keeping and

writing 7.Art and architecture

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