PEOPLING OF THE WORLD PREHISTORY – 2500 BC

Ms. Carmelitano

IMAGINE THE WHOLE HISTORY OF THE EARTH AS A 24-HOUR CLOCK

If the present is “midnight” what “time” do you think human beings came into being?

STUDYING THE PAST

Little is known about early human species because they had no writing Historians call this time pre-history

Instead of studying written records, scientists study: Fossils Bones Artifacts: Human-made objects

Tools Jewelry

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

THE EARLY HUMAN

It was once believed that the “birth place” of the human species was Asia

In the 1930’s that all changed! Louis S. B. Leakey

Believed Africa was the birth place of humans

In the 1930’s he found fossil evidence of human beings in Sub-Saharan Africa; Tanzania

TANZANIA AFRICA MAP

THE EARLY HUMAN

Mary Leakey 1978 Found prehistoric

footprints that resembled those of modern humans in volcanic ash in Tanzania

(Homo Habilis)

THE DISCOVERY OF “LUCY”

Anthropologist Donald Johanson studied in Ethiopia

1974 – Discovered a complete skeleton of an adult female hominid (Australopithecus) Lived 3.5 million years ago Oldest, most complete hominid

found to that date

THE EVOLUTION OF HUMANS

Evolution A gradual process in which something

changes into a different and usually more complex or better form

THE EVOLUTION OF HUMANS

THE EVOLUTION OF HUMANS

Human evolution: the process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors.

Hominid – A human that walks upright (on 2 feet) Lucy and the Leaky footprints came from

Hominids, they walked on two feet Bipedalism – or the ability to walk on two

feet

TRAITS OF HUMANS

Physical and behavioral traits shared by all people originated evolved over a period of six million years.

human traits: bipedalism large and complex brain ability to make and use tools capacity for language complex symbolic expression, art, and

elaborate cultural diversity

HUMAN ERAS

The first eras of human existence can be separated into two sections Paleolithic: Old Stone Age from 2.5 million to

8000 B.C. Hominid Species first emerged Hominid Species began to use stone tools

intelligently Fire is discovered (Homo-Erectus)

Mesolithic: Middle Stone Age Homo Sapiens first emerged Advance in the use of stone tools

PALEOLITHIC – THE FIRST PEOPLE

Australopithecus Existed: 4 million BCE

Homo Habilis 2.5 million B.C.E

B.C.E. – means ‘before common era’ C.E. or A.D. – means ‘common era’ Homo: Human

Homo-Erectus: Existed 1.6 million BCE “Upright man”

MESOLITHIC PERIOD

Homo Sapiens: “wise man” Modern Humans The first Homo-sapiens evolved in Africa

100,000 and 400,000 years ago Homo Sapiens: Neanderthal

200,000-30,000 BCE Homo Sapiens Cro-Magnon

40,000-8,000 BCE

HUMAN FAMILY TREE

http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-family-tree