World History LAP 1

Louis Leakey

(1903-1972) British archaeologist and anthropologist of East Africa was the best place to search for human origins and made many important archaeological discoveries there

hominid

an early humanlike creature that is believed to be the ancestor of humans

domestication

taming animals and adapting crops for human use

Mary Leakey

(1913-1996) British archaeologist; along with her husband, Louis, she made great discoveries of early hominids in East Africa

Bronze Age

(c. 3000 BC) the period after the Stone Age, when the people began to make items out of bronze

Donald Johanson (1943-)

America anthropologist; he discovered a partial Australopithecine skeleton in Ethiopia, which he named Lucy

What were the common characteristics of early civilizations?

As large cities began to form, the first civilizations appeared. Some common characteristics of early civilizations would be record keeping and writing- such as a clap pouch that held clay tokens and the tokens' shape and markings indicated specific trade- specialized labor, government and religious institutions, and artworks- such as pottery, social classes, architecture, and developed cities.

Neolithic Era

New Stone Age; the time period after the Paleolithic area marked by the use of tools

What was the Neolithic Revolution and why was it important?

The Neolithic Revolution is a period in human history marked by the introduction of agriculture and a shift from food gathering to food production. This shift to the development of agriculture is important because it radically changed how people lived and is one of the most important turning points in human history for that reason.

culture

a group's knowledge, beliefs, values, and customs

Neolithic Revolution

a period in human history marked by the introduction of agriculture and a shift from food gathering to food production

Paleolithic Era

also known as the Old Stone Age; a prehistoric period that lasted form about 2.5 million years ago to about 8,500 BC

How did the domestication of plants and animals change prehistoric societies during the Neolithic Era?

during the Neolithic Era, many tools, skills, and even lifestyles were changing, advancing, and developing. Since farming was developing, people were beginning to practice domestication- the selective growing or breeding of plants and animals to make them more useful to humans. By saving and planting seeds from the best plants, many of the wild plants became domesticated over time. This therefore providing people and societies with larger food supplies, making finding food much easier. People also domesticated animals in addition to plants. By domesticating animals, people and societies could raise livestock to provide a more stable supply of meat, milk, skins, and wool. They could also use large animals, like cattle, to carry or pull heavy loads and help out with farming. Animal domestication provided prehistoric societies with a larger and more reliable food supply.

megaliths

huge stones for burial or religious purposes

pastoralists

nomads who kept herds of livestock on which they depended for most of their food

artifacts

objects that people in the past made or used, such as coins, pottery, and tools

hunter-gatherers

people who hunt animals and gather wild plants to provide for their needs

nomads

people who move form place to place in search of food and water

animism

the belief that all things in nature have sprits