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
What do we know about
early humans?
Nomads People who move
from place to place
Usually groups of about 30
Hunter-gatherersSpent most of
their time looking for food
What do we know about
early humans?
Nomadic men Men did the
hunting Early nomads
chased animals off cliffs
Later nomads developed spears, traps, & bow and arrows
What do we know about
early humans?
Nomadic women Stayed at campsite Looked after
children Foraged for berries,
nuts, grains
What do we know about
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
during the Paleolithic Period?
Language Developed spoken
language Work together and
pass on knowledge
Art Created paint and
made cave paintingsPossibly religious?
What advanceme
nts did humans make
during the Paleolithic Period?
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
What happened during the Neolithic Period?
DomesticationDefinition: the
taming of animals or plants for human use
What happened during the Neolithic Period?
Domesticating animalsDogsSheep, goats,
pigsOx, yak,
horses, llamas, alpacas, camels
What happened during the Neolithic Period?
Domesticating plantsWheat, barley,
peas, rice, beans, potatoes, maize
What happened during the Neolithic Period?
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
When did villages become
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
When did villages become
civilizations?
First civilizations arose in river valleys Good farming
conditionsSoil fertile from
floodingWetlands are
abundant in wildlife
When did villages become
civilizations?
Fertile Crescent Area of land
known as Mesopotamia
When did villages become
civilizations?
Mesopotamia had a very dry climate Farmers depended
on floods to make soil fertile
Didn’t flood every yearBegan to pray Irrigation
When did villages become
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
When did villages become
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”
What was life like in ancient Sumer?
GovernmentCities separated
by desertCity-states
IndependentOften went to
war with each otherGlory and land
What was life like in ancient Sumer?
Religion Polytheism
Belief in many gods
ZigguratGrant temples for
worshipCenters of the
cities
Priests and priestessesVery powerful
What was life like in ancient Sumer?
Citizens Mostly farmers Artisans
Made things out of metal, cloth, or clay
What was life like in ancient Sumer?
Class systemUpper class
Kings, priests, and government officials
Middle classWorkers and
artisansLower class
Slaves
What was life like in ancient Sumer?
Class system Upper class
Kings, priests, and government officials
Middle classWorkers and
artisans Lower class
Slaves
What was life like in ancient Sumer?
Writing Invented writingCuneiform
100s of symbols
Cut into clayScribes
Record keepersImportant and
powerful
What was life like in ancient Sumer?
Literature Epic of Gilgamesh
Oldest known story
King who travels the world and does great thingsTries to live
forever, but not a god
What was life like in ancient Sumer?
Science & math Irrigation
Water crops even if the climate was dry
WheelMade traveling
between city-states easier
What was life like in ancient Sumer?
Science & math (cont) Plow
Turned up the land and made farming easier
SailboatRelied on wind,
rather than manpower, to sail
What was life like in ancient Sumer?
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
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