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Chapter 1 Human Beginnings

Pre-History – 1000 B.C.

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Dating Early Artifacts

• How have recent archaeological finds contributed to our understanding of human origins?

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Prehistoric Finds in Africa• In 1992, Gen Suwa, a paleontologist from

Japan discovers, in East Africa, ________ _________________________________.

• Over the next two years, additional remains were uncovered, like arm bones and parts of the skull and jaw that belonged to _______________________.

• Just 45 miles away, In 1974, Donald C. Johanson and Tom Gray uncovered a 3.2 million-year-old skeleton they named Lucy.

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Human Origins

• Scientists do not all agree about the story of human beginnings.

• One generally accepted theory is that ___________________________________________________________________.

• These hominids are known as Australopithecus.

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• Australopithecus spent their lives in the humid forests of eastern and southern Africa.

• _________________________________.• They were probably nomads, never

staying in one place for long

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• Homo is a Latin word used by scientists which means “_____________”.

• They use this word to name later humans as well.

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Scientists divide Homo into 3 categories of species:

Homo habilus -

“__________________”

lived until about _____ million years ago

Homo erectus -

“______________________________________”

lived after the previous group of humans

Homo sapiens -

“__________________”

lived _______ to about ___________ years ago_____________________________________

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The Ice Ages

• _________________________ played an important role in the development of early humankind.

• Earth experienced four long periods of cold climate between 2 million and 10,000 years ago, known as ________________.

• The level of the oceans dropped more than 300 ft. as _____________________.

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• As a result of this, some areas that are now separated by water, were connected by a land bridge:

1. ___________________________________

2. ___________________________________

3. Malay Peninsula through the Indonesian islands almost all the way to Australia

4. ___________________________________.

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How did early humans react to the environmental changes of the Ice

Ages?In Different Ways:

1. Some people simply moved to warmer places (usually the middle latitudes where it was warm enough to live)

2. ________________________________________________________________.

3. Those who could not adapt died from starvation and exposure to the extremes.

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Human CultureCulture includes:1. the knowledge a group of

people have2. ________________________3. ________________________

________________________4. ________________________5. their achievements in art and

music.

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• Toolmaking – the use of tools was one of the earliest aspects of culture that people formed.

• The Stone Age – name used to identify the period before writing became established.

• _____________________________________________________________________________________________________|.

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The Stone Age is divided into 3 shorter periods:

Paleolithic or

___________________

_____________________ Began about 2 million years ago & until about 12,000 B.C. First toolmaking was by the Homo habilis

Mesolithic or

___________________

Usually dated from about 12,000 B.C. to about 8,000 B.C.

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Neolithic or

___________________

Lasted from about 8,000 B.C. to 5,000 B.C.

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Paleolithic Hunter-Gatherers

• Homo Habilis – lived during first quarter of Paleolithic period. – ____________________________________– Lived in Africa from about 2.5 to 1.5 million

years ago– Lived alongside the Australopithecus

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• Homo Erectus – Lived during last part of Paleolithic period.

• There is much more information about this group of early humans– First appeared in Africa & lived from 1.6

million to about 250,00 years ago.– ____________________________________– ____________________________________

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• Migrations – Not enough is known about the migrating

habits of Homo habilis people.– Scientists do know that Homo erectus people

migrated from their Native Africa to Europe and Asia.

– Skeletal remains prove that they lived in ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

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• Language – Instead of just making sounds and signals to

show emotion and direction, Homo erectus may have been talking to each other about 500,000 years ago.

– ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

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What benefits did language offer to humanity?

Made it possible for people to work together (organize duties, give directions)

____________________________________________________________________

Provided a way for people to socialize and entertain each other (storytelling)

Most important of all, it allowed people to ____________________________________________________________________

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Homo Sapiens

• Evidence of early Homo sapiens goes back as far as 200,000 years ago.

• Neanderthals - _____________________

__________________________________

• Neanderthals stood about 5.5 feet tall, their brains were slightly larger than modern humans, and their bodies were stocky.

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Technological skills of Neanderthals:

• ___________________________

• Skillfully constructed stone knives, spear points, and bone tools

• Crafted hide-cleaning and food-preparing tools

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How did they live?

• Most lived in small groups of 35 to 50 people

• ____________________________________________________________________

• Lived in ________ or overhangs from cliffs

• Wore heavy clothing made from animal skins to stay warm and protected

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Their culture and beliefs:

• Neanderthals cared for their sick and elderly

• May have been the first people to practice medicine

• ___________________________

• ___________________________

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Homo sapiens sapiens

• __________________________________

• More advanced than Homo sapiens

• Within 20,000 years ago, this modern group had migrated to almost every continent of the world

• As these people moved out of Africa, they intermarried with Neanderthals

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The Cro-Magnons

• Earliest Homo sapiens sapiens

• Their remains were first found in France around 1860

• Cro-Magnons were taller and less stocky than Neanderthals

• Improved technology development

• __________________________________

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Technology of Cro-Magnons• __________________________________• Created fishing devices and needles for

sewing• Invented the stone ax in order to cut down

trees and make canoes• Invented the spear-thrower and the bow

and arrow• __________________________________

__________________________________

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Social Life of Cro-Magnons

• Lived in bands, with many different bands spread throughout

• __________________________________

• Rules were developed for people to get along and for work to get done

• Leaders were named and placed in charge of enforcing rules

• __________________________________

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Cave Paintings of Cro-Magnons

• __________________________________

• No one knows for sure why they painted on cave walls– ____________________________________– May have been reaching out to spiritual world– Maybe to relieve boredom & monotony

• *Clay sculptures have also been found as well as figures of ivory and bone

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Neolithic Revolution

• During the Neolithic period and immediately after, humanity made a giant leap in culture– ____________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

– In a period of 5,000 years, people gradually moved from hunting & gathering to producing food

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• New agricultural methods came about

• This led to massive changes in the way people lived!

That’s why we call this time in history the

___________________________________.

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• This revolution took place slowly

• Took place at different times in different parts of the world

• The crops that Neolithic people developed varied from place to place

• Farming made life easier for people– ____________________________________– ____________________________________

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• Farming also allowed people to ______________________ _____________________

• Crude houses were constructed with mud bricks

• Several related families usually lived in one house

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Technological Advances

Neolithic farmers invented the ______ and trained oxen to pull it.

Neolithic villagers invented the loom and began to __________________________

They learned how to make jewelry and better weapons

People created calendars to measure the seasons & determine when to plant crops

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People began caring about boundary lines and rules of inheritance because their food supply depended on land ownership.

As villages began competing for land and water, __________ was created.

Neolithic people believed in deities or _____________________________

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Emergence of Civilization

Civilization – ______________________ Some villages evolved into cities Cities sprang up at different times in

different places

____________________________________________________________________

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Early River Valley civilizations

People’s labor was specialized with different men and women doing different jobs

The civilizations depended on advanced _______________________________

Each civilization had some form of government to make and carry out rules and procedures

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The Economy of a Civilization

• First Irrigation systems – ______________ __________________________________

• Specialization of labor – artisans became increasingly productive and creative

• Long distance trade – farmers and artisans began trading outside of their communities and eventually covered longer distances

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Living Together in Cities

• Civilizations slowly grew more prosperous and more complex

• Populations steadily grew also. Early cities had between 5,000 to 30,000 residents!

• Of course, a population like this could not operate the same way that a village of 200 had operated.

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Therefore,• A group of government officials was

created to oversee the collection, storage, and distribution of farming surpluses.

• These officials also organized and directed labor forces needed for large-scale construction projects.

• ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

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• __________________________________ made up what is known as a ruling class.

• This ruling class was usually led by a king (_____________________________)

• The first kings ever were probably elected, but over time they inherited their positions.

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The Invention of Writing

• Priests began using marks and pictures, called pictograms, to represent products.

• Eventually they used the marks and pictures to represent abstract ideas and even later, to represent sounds.

• Priests kept records of individual men and women who were ___________________, ______________, and _______________.

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• After a time, priests also recorded things like the king’s battle victories, legal codes, medical texts, and observations of the stars.

• Priests also recorded _______ (traditional stories explaining how the world was formed, how people came into being, and what they owed their creator).

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• ___________________________________________________________________.

• Because these ideas, beliefs, or myths vary from place to place, historians usually examine them for clues to a people’s customs and values.