How do we know what happened in the past? Historians People who study and write about the past ...

How do we know what happened

in the past?

HistoriansPeople who

study and write about the past

Anthropologists People who study

societyHow people

interact and how they are related

How do we know what happened

in the past?

Archaeologists People who hunt

for evidence about the past Artifacts

Early weapons or tools

FossilsPreserved

animal or plant

What do we know about

early humans?

Paleolithic Period Old Stone Age ~2.5 million years

ago until 8,000 BC 10,000 years ago


early humans?

Nomads People who move

from place to place

Usually groups of about 30

Hunter-gatherersSpent most of

their time looking for food


early humans?

Nomadic men Men did the

hunting Early nomads

chased animals off cliffs

Later nomads developed spears, traps, & bow and arrows


early humans?

Nomadic women Stayed at campsite Looked after

children Foraged for berries,

nuts, grains


early humans?

Nomadic shelter Near water Warm climates

Didn’t need muchCold climates

Often stayed in caves

Later: animal hides held up by poles

What advanceme

nts did humans make

during the Paleolithic Period?

Fire! Rubbing pieces of

wood together Helped fend off

cold weather Ice Age from

100,000 BC to 8,000 BC

What advanceme

nts did humans make


Language Developed spoken

language Work together and

pass on knowledge

Art Created paint and

made cave paintingsPossibly religious?

What advanceme

nts did humans make


Technology Tools and methods

that help people perform tasks

FlintCould be sharpened

for axes, spearsFishing hooksNeedles to make

clothes

What happened during the Neolithic Period?

Neolithic PeriodNew Stone age

~10,000 BC to between 4,000 and 2,000 BC

After the Ice Age


DomesticationDefinition: the

taming of animals or plants for human use


Domesticating animalsDogsSheep, goats,

pigsOx, yak,

horses, llamas, alpacas, camels


Domesticating plantsWheat, barley,

peas, rice, beans, potatoes, maize


Farming Historians called

this the “farming revolution”

Allowed people to move away from hunting and gathering

Could stay in one permanent placeFewer living the

nomadic lifestyle

What did early

villages look like?

Reasons to settleFarmers needed

to be near their cropsTo water themTo harvest themTo protect them

What did early

villages look like?

Located all over the worldEurope, India,

Egypt, China, MexicoLand bridge

linked Asia and North America during Ice Age

What did early

villages look like?

Jericho Located in

modern day Israel

8,000 BC

What did early

villages look like?

Çatal Hüyük Located in modern

day Turkey 6,000 BC 6,000 residents

Mud-brick houses Decorated with wall

paintings

Farmers and hunters

Why did people

decide to settle in

one place?

Security They had an

abundance of food

Shelters were sturdier

If they grew enough food, they could trade

Why did people

decide to settle in

one place?

Specialization Different kinds of

jobs for those that didn’t farmPotters used clay

to store foodWeavers made

baskets and clothes

Toolmakers made farming tools like sickles

Why did people

decide to settle in

one place?

Copper Heated rock,

melted copper Mixed with tin

created much harder material called bronzeBronze age 3,000

BC to 1,200 BC

When did villages become

civilizations?

Civilizations are complex societies Cities

Cities grew out of villages

Organized government Governments grew out

of the need for organization

Class system Organization of society

meant division of labor Different people had

different jobs Others depended on you

for stuff You depended on

them


civilizations?

Civilizations are complex societies Religion Art

Less time working meant more leisure time to think about things

Written language In order to pass on

their ideas, they had to develop a writing system


civilizations?

First civilizations arose in river valleys Good farming

conditionsSoil fertile from

floodingWetlands are

abundant in wildlife


civilizations?

Fertile Crescent Area of land

known as Mesopotamia


civilizations?

Mesopotamia had a very dry climate Farmers depended

on floods to make soil fertile

Didn’t flood every yearBegan to pray Irrigation


civilizations?

Irrigation Process of

building walls, waterways, and ditches to bring water to fields

Allowed farmers to grow food even if the rivers didn’t flood


civilizations?

Sumer First civilization

About how many years ago?

Formed by many cities in Southern Mesopotamia

What was life like in Ancient Sumer?

What was life like in ancient Sumer?

SumerBetween Tigris

and Euphrates River

Mesopotamia“Land

between the rivers”


GovernmentCities separated

by desertCity-states

IndependentOften went to

war with each otherGlory and land


Religion Polytheism

Belief in many gods

ZigguratGrant temples for

worshipCenters of the

cities

Priests and priestessesVery powerful


Citizens Mostly farmers Artisans

Made things out of metal, cloth, or clay


Class systemUpper class

Kings, priests, and government officials

Middle classWorkers and

artisansLower class

Slaves


Class system Upper class

Kings, priests, and government officials

Middle classWorkers and

artisans Lower class

Slaves


Writing Invented writingCuneiform

100s of symbols

Cut into clayScribes

Record keepersImportant and

powerful


Literature Epic of Gilgamesh

Oldest known story

King who travels the world and does great thingsTries to live

forever, but not a god


Science & math Irrigation

Water crops even if the climate was dry

WheelMade traveling

between city-states easier


Science & math (cont) Plow

Turned up the land and made farming easier

SailboatRelied on wind,

rather than manpower, to sail


Science & math (cont) Geometry

Used to make buildings and plot land

Numbers Based on 60—

hours, minutes Calendar

Based on moon 12-month calendar

How did the

Assyrians rise to

power in Mesopota

mia?

Assyrian Empire Empire: group of

different people under one rulerAssyria: largest

empire to date Arose about

1,000 years after Hammurabi

Fertile Valleys

How did the

Assyrians rise to

power in Mesopota

mia?

Assyrian Empire Similar lifestyle to

BabyloniansCapital at

NinevehOn Tigris River

Collected taxesDivided into

provincesPolitical districts

How did the

Assyrians rise to

power in Mesopota

mia?

Assyrian Empire Similar lifestyle to

BabyloniansSimilar religion

Polytheistic

Same writing system Cuneiform

Similar laws, but with harsher punishments

How did the

Assyrians rise to

power in Mesopota

mia?

Assyrian Empire Libraries

Largest library in the world with 25,000 stories and scripts

How did the

Assyrians rise to

power in Mesopota

mia?

Assyrian Empire Large army

Other groups jealous of fertile land

Needed army to defend land

Used army to take over Mesopotamia in 900 BC

How did the

Assyrians rise to

power in Mesopota

mia?

Assyrian Army Spears and daggers

Bows and arrows

Chariot riders Men on wheeled carts

pulled by horses

Cavalry Soldiers on horses

How did the

Assyrians rise to

power in Mesopota

mia?

Assyrian Army Better weapons

Hittites produced stronger iron

Battering rams For walled cities

Burned buildings, kidnapped people Harsh punishments

for people who disobeyed

What caused the fall of the Assyrian Empire?

Fall of the Assyrian Empire Harsh treatment

left people unhappy

Led to uprisings Fighting after

king died Chaldeans rose

to power

How did the

Chaldeans rule

Mesopotamia?

Chaldeans King Nebuchadnezzar Controlled all of

Mesopotamia after fall of Assyrian Empire

Made Babylon a great city again Largest and richest in

the world Hanging Gardens

Irrigation techniques to pump water to ziggurat

How did the

Chaldeans rule

Mesopotamia?

Babylon “In magnificence,

there is no other city that approaches it.”

Artisans made pottery, cloth, baskets, and jewelrySold it to caravansTraveling

merchants

How did the

Chaldeans rule

Mesopotamia?

Babylon Scientific discoveries

AstronomersPeople who study

heavenly bodiesMapped stars,

planets, phases of moon and created the sundial

Captured by Persian Empire

How do we know what happened in the past? Historians People who study and write about the past ...

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