WHH Chapter 1
??How did domestication of plants and animals change early societies?
(??Allowed people to settle down and create towns; Offered a steady supply of food, as well as material for clothing. Ex. Sheep -> Meat and wool.)
1970 - Laetoli, Tanzania
3.5 million - foot prints, walking upright
How did the domestication of plants and animals change prehistoric societies during the Neolithic Era?
Domestication of plants and animals provided people with larger food supplies. This enabled population growth. By domesticating animals, people could raise livestock to provide a more stable supply of meat, milk, and skins or wools. The animals could also pull and carry heavy loads and help with farming.
End of the Ice Age, population growth, plant domestication, animal domesticion
Larger, more stable supply of grains and plants, meat, milk, skins, wool; Animals could pull heavy loads and help with farming; settlements and villages developed; people's daily activities changed; trade increased; more complex societies led to differences in social status; development of religion; increase warfare, disease; advances in tool making, including the use of metal
In early civilizations how were religion, government, and social classes all interconnected?
Religion, government, and social classes were all interconnected. Priests became powerful figures in many early civilizations because religious leaders often interpreted the will of gods. Sometimes, priests and rulers competed for power. To prove their authority, some leaders claimed that they ruled by the will of the gods or that they represented one of the gods on Earth. As a result, government and religious institutions were often closely connected in early civilizations. Rulers, priests, and nobles had the most power and ranked highest in the social order. This shows the relation between religion, government, and social classes.
What is a hunter-gatherer?
a person who hunted, fished, and gathered wild plants, berries, nuts for food
artifacts
any objects that people made or used
__________ is the spreading of culture traits from one society to another.
cultural diffusion
_______________ refers to a society's knowledge, art, beliefs, customs, and values.
culture
To __________ is to alternate between two events.
cycle
By experimentation, people learned the practice of __________, or the selective growing or breeding of plants and animals for human use.
domestication
developed cities (early civilizations)
drew trade, encouraged spread of ideas
hominids
early humanlike creatures that many experts believe are ancestors oh humans; walked upright; 4.5 million years ago
What is a division of labor?
economic arrangement, each worker specializes in a task
job specialization (early civilizations)
encouraged development of technologies and ideas
1st written source
5,000 years ago on "the Greats"
The development of agriculture is sometimes called the __________ because of the profound effects of agriculture on history.
Neolithic Revolution
Homo Habilis
"handy man" used their hands found by Louis Leakey in 1960s Tanzania Africa about 2.4 million years ago used crude stone tools for chopping and scraping brain was about 1/2 the size of those modern humans
Australopithecine
"southern ape" 4-5 million years ago in Africa walked upright (4 foot tall hominid) found by Donald Johanson in 1974 Ethiopia brain was about 1/3 of most human brains
Homo Erectus
"upright man" Africa about 2-1.5 million years ago larger brain; more skillful hunters (frontal part of brain becoming larger - where you think) first hominid to control fire used early stone tools such as the hand ax migrated out of Africa; first hominid to migrate (know this because fossils found in Asia and Europe
Homo Sapiens
"wise man" Africa about 200,000 years ago migrated around the world larger brain; more sophisticated tools (compound tools in this period) learned to create fire first to develop language used wide range of tools
What was the Neolithic Revolution, and why was it important?
(?? it was the shift from nomadic HUNTING AND GATHERING to settled FARMING AND DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS; the Neo. Rev. was the beginning of forward moving history (if it never happened, we might still be nomads)) The Neolithic Revolution was the shift from hunting and gathering to farming. The world population grew because agriculture provided a larger and more reliable food supply. It was important because people starting farming, new technologies were being developed, and people were coming together.
What were the common characteristics of early civilizations?
Cities organized government complex religions job specialization written language arts and architecture social classes public works
If you were an archaeologist and found bead jewelry and stone chopping tools in an ancient woman's grave, what might you conclude?
I could conclude that the woman may have been making jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets. The people that buried her may also have had some sort of religion.
two groups of homo sapiens
Neanderthals - 200,000-30,000 years ago Cro-Magnons - better adapted - 40,000 years ago
Who is Otzi the Iceman, and why is he significant?
Neolithic man whose remains were found in the Alps; body and possessions were preserved, reveals information about the Neolithic society
Otzi the Iceman
Otzi the Iceman, 5,300 year old hunter, was found frozen in 1991 in the Italian Alps by hikers. Scientific tests shows that the man was from the Neolithic Era.
What can scientists conclude about life during the Neolithic Era from Ötzi the Iceman? Consider Ötzi's clothing, articles and weapons, location, and death in your answer.
Otzi's outfit was made of three types of animal skins; he wore leather shoes padded with grass, a woven grass cape, a fur hat, and some sort of backpack. Otzi had weapons like arrows, a flint dagger, and an ax with a copper blade. Heavy wear on his teeth showed that his diet included coarse grains. Scientists do not think that Otzi lived where he was found, in the cold.(not native of area where he was found - because of clothes) The arrowhead in his shoulder suggests that he was murdered and perhaps he was going into the mountains to try to escape an enemy but then grew too weak to continue.
How did tools in the Neolithic Era differ from those in the Paleolithic Era?
Paleolithic - chipped stone to make tools Neolithic - polished stones are ground for sharp edges
What possible routes did Homo sapiens use to spread from Africa throughout the world?
Southwest Asia to Asia and Australia; Bering Strait to Americas
How did the world's first civilizations develop, and what did the four locations where they developed have in common?
The world's first civilizations formed from some early cities; the first civilizations arose in fertile river valleys. (the tigris and euphrates in southwest asia, the nile in africa, the indus in south asia, and the huang he (or yellow river) in china) The first four civilizations were developed by a river; this was crucial to their survival.
How do scientists study prehistory without the aid of written records from that time?
To study prehistory, scholars must search for clues and interpret them to piece together the story of the distant past. Scientists study prehistory by the artifacts they find.
culture
a society's knowledge, art, beliefs, customs, and values
What do most scientists think helped contribute to some of the genetic variation seen among modern humans today?
adaptation to new environments
the turning point in human history that changed that way in which many people lived
agriculture
What are three ways in which early humans adapted to new environments during the Stone Age?
agriculture new technology (bow and arrow) rivers (fishing)
How did irrigation systems help contribute to the development of the first cities?
allowed more land to be farmed, led to food surplus and larger populations
record keeping and writing (early civilizations)
allowed people to keep tract of economic transactions, record history, create literature
traditional economy
an economy based on long-standing practices
What conditions existed in river valleys that encouraged the development of the first civilizations?
annual floods left mineral deposits, making land fertile
Donald Johanson
anthropologist who found a partial Australopithecine skeleton that was more than 3 million years ago
Mary Leakey
anthropologist who found bones in East Africa that were more than 1.5 million years ago; sketched what they found - artist
Louis Leakey
anthropologist who founded hominid remains that he called Homo habilis
Pottery, tools, and weapons are examples of __________, or objects made and used by humans.
artifacts
Skilled craftspeople called __________ fashioned baskets, pottery, and metal goods by hand.
artisans
animism
belief that all things in nature have spirits
Characteristics of __________ include developed cities, record keeping, and writing, and the specialization of labor.
civilizations
Why do you think that record keeping and writing are necessary characteristics of civilization?
civilizations are complex, so people needed ways to record traded and sold items, and express abstract ideas
social class (early civilizations)
clarified people's roles within urban society
why people abandon an area
climate (either adapt or move) food source left lack of resources to leave disease or danger war fare environmental
civilizations
complex cultures with several important characteristics including cities, government, religion, and arts
fire good for
cook food light source warmth safety
government (early civilizations)
created laws, established systems of justice
What are some factors that cause civilizations to change?
environmental influences such as storms, floods, droughts, and disease; cultural diffusion, expansion
surplus
excess of food
How have Mary Leakey, Louis Leakey, and Donald Johanson contributed to our knowledge of human origins?
expanded our knowledge of early peoples
"Nutcracker man"
found by Mary Leakey in 1959 East Africa; 1.5 million - skull fragments - heavy jaw - large teeth (oldest skull fragment to be found)
walking upright allowed
free hands for tools survival (can see over grass)
religion (early civilizations)
helped impose order in society
how to tell they walked upright
hip joint / pelvis (shape)(definite identifying point)
migration
hominids adapt, move out of Africa; movement occurred over hundreds of thousands of years
how to tell time period of pottery
how deep under ground how advanced certain art of pictures call tell the group or people if with bones, can do carbon dating on bone to find an estimate
megaliths
huge stone monuments that Neolithic Europeans built for burial or spiritual purposes
_______________ are people who survive by eating animals that they have caught or plants they have collected.
hunter-gatherers
division of labor
job specialization that lets people concentrate on one type of work
In your opinion, how did the development of language most benefit prehistoric people? Why?
language helped them communicate and interact with others
What set Homo sapiens apart from earlier hominids?
larger brains, developed sophisticated tools and shelters, created fire
How do some anthropologists and archaeologists contribute to our understanding of prehistory?
make educated guesses about people's lives and culture, expand and revise our picture of the prehistoric past
Herding societies did not establish permanent settlements but instead lived as __________, moving their herds from place to place in search of grazing land.
nomads
What is an artifact, and what are two examples of artifacts?
object that people in the past made; coins, pottery, tools
Lucy
oldest skeletal remains - hominid; East Africa, where earliest human species developed
What types of art did later Stone Age people create?
ornaments and figurines, paintings, carvings, cave art
How did geography contribute to the development and spread of agriculture?
people domesticated the plants and animals available in their regions
hunter-gatherers
people who hunt animals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive
nomads
people who moved from place to place following migrating animal herds
pastoralists
people who ranged over wide areas and kept herds of livestock
Neolithic tools (more specialized)
polished stones to make points more specialized tools (chisels, drills, saws)
How did the development of agriculture benefit prehistoric people's lives?
provided larger, more reliable food source
art and architecture (early civilizations)
reflected wealth and power, brought prestige to rulers
Where did the world's first four civilizations develop?
river valleys: Tigris and Euphrates, Nile, Indus, Huang He
What is involved in plant and animal domestication?
selective growing or breeding of plants and animals
artisans
skilled crafts workers
What characteristics define the Neolithic Era?
specialized tools, development of agriculture/farming, domestication of animals and plants
archaeology
study of artifacts - material things - bones - fossils
historical detection
the conclusion historians arrive at based on the evidence (artifacts - clothing, coins, artwork, and burial tombs)
Paleolithic Era
the first part of the Stone Age which lasted until about 10,000 years ago
domestication
the process of changing plants and animals for better human use
Neolithic Revolution
the shift from hunting and gathering to farming
cultural diffusion
the spreading of cultural traits from one society to another
history
the study of how people lived, their cultures, and civilizations
anthropology
the study of man; the study of the origins/development of people, societies -- human life
How did Stone Age technology improve over time?
they became more refined and specialized
Bronze Age
time period following the Stone Age, characterized by the use of bronze
Neolithic Era
time period known as the New Stone Age which followed Paleolithic Era
What are some causes of cultural diffusion, and how did it affect early civilizations?
trade, migration, invasion; cultural diffusion brought new cultures and ideas
carbon dating
used to date the remains of living organisms (fossils/bones)(all living items)
Based on what you have learned about archaeological digs, would you want to work on one? Use information from the text to support your answer.
yes; to find new information about our ancestors
