20
CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C. –3000 B.C. UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 32 8000 B.C. New Stone Age begins 6500 B.C. Catal Hüyük established 4000 B.C. World population reaches about 90 million 3000 B.C. Writing is invented

2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    1

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

CHAPTER

� Neolithic pottery

Paleolithic carving �

2PrehistoricPeople8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.

UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME32

8000 B.C.New Stone Age begins

6500 B.C.Catal Hüyükestablished

4000 B.C.World population reaches

about 90 million

3000 B.C.Writing isinvented

0032-0047 CH02-846240 11/14/02 11:33 PM Page 32

Page 2: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

Terms to Learnprehistorycivilizationmigratespecialization

People to KnowLucyNeanderthalsCro-Magnons

Places to LocateOlduvai GorgeJerichoCatal Hüyük

Why It’s Important Most archaeologists believe people havelived on the earth for millions of years. The period of timebefore the invention of writing is called prehistory. It lasteduntil about five thousand years ago, when people learned howto write. Through the use of artifacts, archaeologists havetraced the milestones that paved the way from prehistory tothe rise of civilization—a time when people progressed cultur-ally and began to live in cities.

33CHAPTER 2 PREHISTORIC PEOPLE

Chapter OverviewVisit the Human Heritage Web siteat humanheritage.glencoe.comand click on Chapter 2—ChapterOverviews to preview this chapter.

Chapter FocusRead to Discover

• How tools, language, clothing, and the discovery of firehelped early people advance.

• What Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons were like.• How people changed from food gatherers to food producers.• Why specialization, government, and religion were impor-

tant in Neolithic societies.

SECTION 1 The Paleolithic AgeAlthough there were no written records during prehistory,

scientists have learned a great deal about prehistoric people.They have learned how early human beings lived and whatimportant discoveries were made. Scientists also think theyknow why people moved out of Africa to other parts of theworld.

Many scientists believe that until about 1.75 million yearsago, people lived only on the grasslands of eastern and southernAfrica. Then the earth’s climate changed—it became colder.Ocean water froze into huge glaciers that spread out from theNorth and South poles. As the ice sheets grew, the sea level felland uncovered land that had been under water. Land bridgesthen connected Africa to both southern Europe and southwest-ern Asia.

Reading Check When did

prehistory end?What helped bringabout the rise of civilization?

0032-0047 CH02-846240 11/14/02 10:11 PM Page 33

Page 3: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

34

People were able to migrate, or make their way, around thedesert of northern Africa and across the land bridges. Betweenabout 1.75 million and 700,000 years ago, people made their wayinto Europe and Asia. Much later, between about 40,000 and15,000 years ago, they also migrated to the Americas.

Scientists call the first age in which people lived the Pale-olithic (pa le uh lith’ ik) Age, or Old Stone Age. It lasted fromabout 2.3 million years ago until 10,000 years ago. During thisperiod, people obtained their food by hunting and gathering.

Obtaining Food Paleolithic people lived in small bands,or groups, of about 30 members. When the food supply wasgood, the bands grew to about 40 or 50 members. Most of thegroup members lived to be no more than 20 or 25 years old. Morethan half of the children died from illnesses or were killed by ani-mals before their first birthdays.

The people within a group lived and worked together andshared their food. They fed and cared for people who becameinjured or sick.

UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME

GROUP LIFE Experts believe that most early people lived in groups made up ofseveral families. Here, a group of hunters use stones to sharpen tools. Two men carry alarge animal killed in a hunt, as a few women tend fires near their tents. How didPaleolithic people use fire?

Reading Check How did early

people migrate out ofAfrica?

Reading Check How did living

in bands help peoplesurvive?

0032-0047 CH02-846240 11/14/02 10:11 PM Page 34

Page 4: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

35

Each band searched for food within an area known as itshome territory. This usually covered about two square miles, orfive square kilometers, for every band member. There werecampsites at various places throughout the home territory. Theband stayed at a campsite until the available food supply wasused up and then moved.

Women and children gathered berries, nuts, fruit, and eggsout of bird and turtle nests. They poked sticks into bee nests toget honey and into the ground to dig roots.

Men of the group obtained meat. They caught fish usingtheir bare hands and hunted small animals with sticks andstones. Occasionally, they were able to kill a large animal thatwas too young, too old, or too badly hurt to run away. A goodkill meant that the group would have enough meat to last forseveral days.

Making Tools Life for hunters and gatherers became easierwhen they learned to make tools. At first the only tools peoplehad were sticks and stones they found on the ground. Soon theylearned to shape stones to make them more useful.

CHAPTER 2 PREHISTORIC PEOPLE

EARLY TOOLS For more than 2 million years, prehistoric people lived by huntinganimals and gathering plants. They used tools made of wood and stone. The woodentools have decayed. Archaeologists, however, have found many stone tools. For whatpurposes did prehistoric people use stone tools?

Oldest Tools In 1995,archaeologists working inEthiopia found stone spearpoints more than 2.6 mil-lion years old, makingthem the earliest toolsfound on Earth.

Reading Check What were some

of the features of aband’s home territory?

0032-0047 CH02-846240 11/14/02 10:12 PM Page 35

Page 5: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

36

Among the earliest shaped stones are the Olduvan pebbletools, named after the Olduvai Gorge in eastern Africa where theywere first discovered. Pebble tools were made from pebbles orstones about the size of a fist. The toolmaker hit one pebble withanother, removing chips and creating a jagged cutting edge. Thisedge was sharp enough to cut the meat off of small animals’bones, split animal bones, and chop up plants.

Later people learned to knock long, sharp-edged chips, calledflakes, from stones and use them as tools. Using flakes for knives,they could butcher, or cut up, animals as big as elephants quicklyand efficiently. People also used flakes to scrape one end of awooden branch into a sharp point for a digging stick or a meatskewer.

Making Fire People also learned to make fire during thePaleolithic Age. The first fires they knew about were made bynature, such as those started by lightning. Eventually, people dis-covered how to make fire themselves. They created sparks byrubbing two sticks or stones together, or rapidly turning a stick ina hole in a dry log.

People used fire to keep themselves warm and dry. Theyalso used it as a weapon, throwing burning sticks of wood at ani-mals to drive them away. Sometimes they used fire to drive biganimals into mudholes. The heavy animals would sink in themud and people could then kill them.

People also used fire to clear out brush and undergrowth.Finally, people used fire to cook food. Cooked food was mucheasier to chew and digest than raw food. As a result, peoplespent less time eating and more time doing other things.

Seeking Shelter Early people usually camped out in theopen. They protected themselves from the wind by digging pitsin the ground or by crouching in dry river beds. They also tookshelter under an overhanging rock or piled up brush.

At first, early people used caves only for such emergenciesas escaping from a sudden storm or a large animal. By about100,000 years ago, however, people in China, western Europe,and southwestern Asia were living in caves most of the time.

Making Clothing After hunters began killing large ani-mals, they found that the animal skins could be used for protec-tion and warmth. They scraped the skins clean and then laidthem out in the sun to dry. Later, people discovered that pound-ing fat into the skin while it was drying would make it softer.

At first people wrapped the skins around themselves. Later,they learned how to fasten the skins together. Clothing made abig difference in where people lived. Before they had clothing,most people stayed in areas that were warm and dry. Once they

UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME

LucyC. 3,200,000 B.C.

Hominid SkeletonLucy made headlinesin 1974 when two sci-entists—Donald C.Johanson and TomGray—discovered herskeleton in the desertsof Ethiopia. Theynamed her after apopular Beatles song,"Lucy in the Sky withDiamonds." AlthoughLucy walked the earth3.2 million years ago,her skeleton was near-ly complete. She gavethe world its first lookat an early prehuman.

0032-0047 CH02-846240 11/14/02 10:12 PM Page 36

Page 6: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

37

had clothing to protect them from the weather, they were able tomove into areas that were cooler and wetter.

Developing Language In addition to learning to maketools, fire, and clothing, early people developed language. Beforethey learned to talk, early people simply made sounds or pointedto objects to express meaning. Hand signals were probably usedfor common things such as water, food, animals, and weapons.Gradually, because of new social needs, sounds and hand signalswere no longer enough. The development of language was a great human achievement. It made it possible for people towork together, share ideas, and pass on their beliefs and stories.The younger generations could learn more easily from older generations, and greater progress was made in all areas of civi-lization.

The Neanderthals The first people on Earth are known asHomo habilis (ho mo huh bil’ uhs), or “skillful man.” Next cameHomo erectus (ho’ mo e rekt’ uhs), or “man who walks upright.”Then, between about 300,000 and 200,000 years ago, came Homosapiens (ho’ mo sap’ e uhnz), or “man who thinks.”

CHAPTER 2 PREHISTORIC PEOPLE

PREHISTORIC PEOPLE There were two types of early Homo sapiens, Nean-derthals and Cro-Magnons. From the remains of these two peoples, scientists havetried to reconstruct how they might have looked. These models show the facial fea-tures of the Neanderthal (left) and a Cro-Magnon (right). In what areas of the worlddid the first people most likely live?

Languages There maybe 2,000 to 10,000 lan-guages in the world today.Dialects, or variationswithin a language, rangefrom about 20,000 to morethan 50,000. The largestnative language in theworld is Chinese, butamong the many dialectsare Mandarin, Cantonese,Wu, Min, Xiang, Kan, andHakka.

0032-0047 CH02-846240 11/14/02 10:13 PM Page 37

Page 7: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

38 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME

There are two kinds of Homo sapiens. The first is theNeanderthal (ne an’ der tahl), named after the Neander River inGermany, where their remains were first discovered in 1856. Sincethen, other Neanderthal remains have been found throughoutEurope and in parts of Asia and Africa. Scientists estimate thatabout 1 million Neanderthals were living at any one time.

Neanderthal people were good hunters. They used traps tocatch birds and small animals. They used pitfalls to catch large ani-mals like the rhinoceros and the elephant. A pitfall was a large holethat was covered with branches, leaves, and earth. As an animal ranacross this hole, it crashed through the covering and fell into the pit.The hunters would then kill the animal with spears.

Neanderthals were also builders. In northern areas, forexample, they made houses by covering a framework ofmammoth bones with animal skins. More bones piled on thebottoms of the skins prevented them from being blown away. Asmany as 30 people lived in such a house during the cold monthsof the year. They improved cave dwellings by digging drainageditches in caves and designing rock protection for entrances.

According to experts, Neanderthals were also the firstpeople to bury their dead. Archaeologists have found graves ofpeople from this time in which they discovered the remains offlowers, tools, and food.

The Aborigines Archaeologists have found spearheads andcave paintings showing that hunters traveled to Australia morethan 40,000 years ago. Their descendants call themselves theAborigines (ab uh rij’ uh n-ez) and live much as their ancestors did (far right). Why does the study of traditional cultures provide valuable information about the past?

0032-0047 CH02-846240 11/14/02 10:13 PM Page 38

Page 8: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

39

The Cro-Magnons The second kind of Homo sapiens is theCro-Magnon (kro mag’ nahn), named after a rock shelter inFrance where their remains were first discovered in 1868. Cro-Magnons appeared in North Africa, Asia, and Europe about100,000 years ago. Archaeologists consider them the first modernhuman beings.

Cro-Magnons were very skillful toolmakers. They inventedthe burin, which resembles a chisel. By using the burin, peoplecould make other tools and objects from antler, bone, ivory, andshell, as well as stone and wood.

Using new tools made Cro-Magnons better hunters, thusincreasing their food supply. Points of antler or bone fastened tothe end of wooden sticks could penetrate the hides of largeranimals. People fashioned antler and bone into spear throwers, ordevices that made spears fly through the air faster and farther.This allowed hunters to stay a greater distance from animals,making hunting less dangerous.

PREHISTORIC HORSE This prehistoric painting of a horse was found on thewall of a cave in Lascaux, France. Early art such as this always showed the animal’sprofile. What can scientists learn about Cro-Magnon people from looking at theirart?

CHAPTER 2 PREHISTORIC PEOPLE

First Razors Cro-Magnons may have invent-ed the first razors. SomeCro-Magnon cave paint-ings portray beardlessmen, and Cro-Magnongraves contain sharpenedshells—the first razors.Later peoples hammeredrazors out of bronze oriron.

0032-0047 CH02-846240 11/14/02 10:14 PM Page 39

Page 9: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

40

Another important tool that Cro-Magnons invented was theaxe, which they used to cut down trees and hollow out the logsto make canoes. In southeastern Asia, they cut down stalks ofbamboo and tied them together with vines to make rafts. Windsor ocean currents then carried the rafts to other lands. It is likelythat this is how people reached Australia about 40,000 years ago.

Cro-Magnons also fashioned bone, ivory, and shell into bodyornaments, such as necklaces and rings. They decorated theirclothing with bone or ivory beads. They played music on flutescarved from long, hollow bones.

Cro-Magnons were artists as well as toolmakers. Theycarved statues out of ivory and bone or molded them out of clay.They covered the walls of some caves in western Europe, Africa,and South America with pictures painted brightly with paintsmade from minerals. The pictures show mostly animals, such ashorses, bulls, and deer, but also show outlines and patterns oflines, dots, and curves.

Many anthropologists think cave paintings may have hadreligious significance. Cro-Magnons believed that animals hadspirits. They thought that painting an animal’s picture gave people power over its spirit and would help them find and killthe animal. Anthropologists think the cave paintings may havebeen a kind of textbook about Cro-Magnon ceremonies, tradi-tions, or history.

Cro-Magnon bands cooperated, often hunting large animalstogether. This required them to jointly agree on rules and the firsttrue leaders. Every year or so, they held social gatherings wherethey exchanged information about the movement of animalherds. They also traded materials such as amber and shells.

UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME

Section 1 Assessment 1. Define: prehistory, civilization,

migrate, bands, home territory.2. Why did early people begin to move

out of Africa and into other parts of theworld about 1 million years ago?

3. How did tools change in the PaleolithicAge?

Critical Thinking4. Analyzing Information What do

you think was the most importantadvancement made by early people?Explain.

Graphic Organizer Activity5. Draw a diagram like this one, and use

it to compare ways of life followed bythe Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons.Be sure to include the accomplish-ments of each.

Neanderthals Cro-MagnonsBoth

The Flute The firstmusical instrument invent-ed by early humans wasthe flute. Carved boneflutes date back more than30,000 years.

0032-0047 CH02-846240 1/10/03 11:33 AM Page 40

Page 10: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

41

SECTION 2 The Neolithic AgeIn the Neolithic (ne uh lith’ ik), or New Stone Age, about

8000 B.C., people changed from food gatherers to food producers.Over several thousand years they began to obtain most of theirfood from farming. This brought about such great changes in theway they lived that experts call the beginning of farming theNeolithic Revolution.

Farmers and Herders Two important discoveries broughton the Neolithic Revolution. One was learning to grow food. Theother was learning to herd animals.

Experts believe that people discovered that seed from wildgrains, such as wheat and barley, could be planted and harvested.This probably came about when they noticed that new shootshad grown from spilled grain. Scientists believe agriculturedeveloped independently in different parts of the world. Insouthwestern Asia, early people grew wheat and barley, and in

DOMESTICATING ANIMALS Early people painted scenes of their hunting andfood-producing activities. Here, a cave painting from North Africa shows cattle beingherded. Some cattle are tied to a rope, while women and children do chores. What wasthe importance of learning to herd animals?

CHAPTER 2 PREHISTORIC PEOPLE

Early Art Paleolithicartists used three basic col-ors: black, red, and yellow.The pigments came fromnatural sources such ascharcoal, clay, and miner-als such as iron. They usedthese materials so skillfullythat when Pablo Picasso,one of the masters of mod-ern art, saw cave paintingsin France, he reportedlyexclaimed: “We haveinvented nothing!”

Student Web ActivityVisit the Human Heritage Web site athumanheritage.glencoe.comand click on Chapter 2—Student Web Activities to findout more about the Neolithic Age.

0032-0047 CH02-846240 11/14/02 10:14 PM Page 41

Page 11: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

42

eastern Asia, they grew millet, rice, and soy beans. In Mexico,they grew corn, squash, and potatoes, and they grew peanutsand a grain called sorghum in Africa.

People probably learned they could herd animals when ahunting band built fences to enclose a herd of wild animals theyhad chased into a ravine. The hunters killed one animal at a time,saving the rest for later. Soon captured animals began to losetheir fear of people and became domesticated, or tamed, and thehunters became herders. In time, Neolithic people were breedinganimals to improve the animals’ qualities. People also beganusing certain animals such as donkeys, camels, and llamas aspack animals.

The Neolithic Revolution greatly increased people’s foodsupplies. With more food available, the population, or number ofpeople, began to grow. Experts think there were about 5 millionpeople in the world in 8000 B.C. Within 4,000 years the populationgrew to about 90 million. People were also living longer.

Early Villages Once people began to produce food, theywere able to settle in one place. They built permanent sheltersand formed villages of about 150 to 200 people in areas with agood soil and water supply.

POTTERY MAKING Neolithic people learned the art of baking clay pottery.Baked clay, unlike sun-dried clay, will not disintegrate in water. In this picture, menare covering the oven so that the pots inside will bake. How did Neolithic people usepottery?

UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME

Reading Check How did

domesticated animalschange the way somehunters lived?

Reading Check What caused the

world’s population togrow?

0032-0047 CH02-846240 11/14/02 10:15 PM Page 42

Page 12: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

43

The earliest known villages in the world have been found insouthwestern Asia. One of the oldest is Jericho (jer´ uh ko) in theWest Bank between Israel and Jordan. It dates back to about 8000B.C. Another is Abu Hureyra (ah bu hu ra´ rah) in Syria, whichwas founded about 500 years later. A third early village is CatalHüyük (kat’ uhl hu´ yuk) located in Turkey. People lived therefrom about 6500 to 5700 B.C.

Archaeologists know a great deal about Catal Hüyükbecause it was struck by a fire that blackened rather thandestroyed wooden and cloth objects. The blackening helped pre-serve the objects. Evidence shows the houses in Catal Hüyükwere made of sun-dried mud brick. They had flat roofs made ofreeds plastered over with mud. The walls and roofs were sup-ported by a post-and-lintel, or a horizontal length of wood orstone placed across two upright poles. The post-and-lintel was animportant contribution to architecture because it enabled build-ings to support weight above an open space.

As protection against attack, the houses in this village hadtwo or three rooms and no doors. People went in and out of thehouses through a hole in the roof by using a ladder. The houseswere crowded together on the side of a hill. The floors were cov-ered with rushes, or grasslike plants, and sleeping platformswere covered with mats.

EARLY VILLAGES Archaeologists today continue to dig up artifacts of early peo-ple. These scientists have uncovered the sites of several ancient villages. How doarchaeologists know they have found the site of a prehistoric village?

CHAPTER 2 PREHISTORIC PEOPLE

First Farmers Manyarchaeologists believe thatwomen invented the prac-tice of agriculture. In soci-eties of hunter-gatherers,women collected fruits,nuts, and seeds. As theydid so, they probablynoticed that plants sprout-ed where seeds fell. Onlywith the invention of theplow did men take over thejob of farming.

0032-0047 CH02-846240 11/14/02 10:15 PM Page 43

Page 13: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

Most mapsshow direction,or the line orcourse along

which something is pointing or facing.Understanding direction makes locatingplaces, whether on a map or in a town,much easier.

All directions heading toward theNorth Pole are north (abbreviated N), and all directions heading toward theSouth Pole are south (S). When facingthe North Pole, the direction to the rightis east (E) and to the left is west (W).These four main directions are calledcardinal directions.

There are also four other directions,

which are known as intermediate direc-tions. This is because they are locatedbetween the cardinal directions. The direction between north and east is northeast (NE) and between north andwest is northwest (NW). The directionbetween south and east is southeast (SE) and between south and west issouthwest (SW).

Determining RelativeLocation

Map Practice1. What sites are located southwest of

Neanderthal?2. Which site is south of Broken Hill?3. In which direction is Ngandong

from Teshik-Tash?

44

Sites of Early People

0032-0047 CH02-846240 1/8/03 5:49 PM Page 44

Page 14: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

45

Among the houses stood open courtyards with large ovensfor baking bread. Beyond the houses were vegetable gardens,apple orchards, fields of grain, and pastures where sheep andcattle grazed.

Specialization A result of increased food supplies wasspecialization, or the development of occupations. Fewer peoplewere needed to produce food so they began to do jobs that hadnothing to do with food. They became potters, weavers, andmetal workers. They exchanged the things they made for grain,fruit, and meat.

Specialization was aided by a number of developments. Onewas that people learned to make pottery by baking clay. Theyused pottery for carrying, cooking, and storing food. Thisenabled them to add such things as soups and stews to their diet.

In addition, people learned to weave cloth. People took woolfrom sheep, spun it into thread, and wove the thread into clothon a loom, which was invented during the Neolithic Age. Theydyed the cloth bright colors and used it for clothing.

Neolithic people also learned to work metals. They pickedup lumps of copper, lead, gold, and silver that they found lyingon the ground and hammered these metals into beads and jewel-ry. Soon they learned how to shape the metal into weapons.Because metals found on the ground were scarce, however, peo-ple continued to work mostly in stone, bone, and wood.

Government Another development of Neolithic times wasvillage government. It was more complex than government inearlier times due to land ownership. People’s lives depended onthe use of a given piece of land. As a result, people began to pro-tect what they had. They set boundaries and passed their land onto their children.

Even so, disputes often arose over land ownership. To keeporder in Neolithic villages, a single chief was chosen. Besides set-tling disputes, the chief, with the help of a small group of people,directed village activities.

Religion Experts believe that the chiefs of most Neolithicvillages were also priests. They handled religious duties for thevillage which included offering prayers for things people need-ed, such as rich soil, healthy animals, and water for crops.

At first, Neolithic people prayed to the forces of nature thatthey saw around them. After a time, they created gods and god-desses to represent these forces. The most important was theEarth Mother, the goddess of fertility. Many of the houses inCatal Hüyük, for example, had altars for this goddess.

CHAPTER 2 PREHISTORIC PEOPLE

Religion Four out of fivepeople in the world saythey practice some form ofreligion. The five largestworld religions are Chris-tianity, Islam, Hinduism,Buddhism, and Judaism.

Reading Check How did

specializationdevelop in Neolithic times?

0032-0047 CH02-846240 11/14/02 10:16 PM Page 45

Page 15: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

46 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME

Archaeologists believe that more elaborate religious customsand ceremonies appeared at this time. Neolithic people began tobuild separate altars and other places of worship for their manygods and goddesses.

Section 2 Assessment 1. Define: domesticated, population,

specialization.2. What two important discoveries

changed people from food gatherers tofood producers?

3. What were two results of the increasedfood supply during the Neolithic Age?

4. What two roles did village chiefs play?

Critical Thinking5. Understanding Cause and Effect

How did learning to produce food leadearly civilizations to develop villages?

Graphic Organizer Activity6. Draw a diagram like this one, and use

it to show the cause and effects of thedevelopment of farming.

Developmentof Farming

Cause

Effect

Effect

Effect

1. Prehistoric time can be divided into thePaleolithic and Neolithic Ages.

2. During the Paleolithic Age, people livedin small hunting-and-food-gatheringbands.

3. Over time, Paleolithic people learned tomake tools and clothes, developed lan-guage, and discovered how to makefire.

4. Early Homo sapiens included the Nean-derthal and the Cro-Magnon.

5. The shift from food gathering to foodproducing brought so many changesthat it has been called the Neolithic Revolution.

6. Food production made it possible forpeople to settle in one place.

7. Increased food supplies in the NeolithicAge resulted in increased populationand specialization.

8. Neolithic villagers learned to make pot-tery, weave on looms, and work withmetals.

9. Neolithic village government was ledby a chief who settled disputes anddirected village activities.

Chapter Summary & Study Guide

Self-Check QuizVisit the Human Heritage Web site at humanheritage.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 2—Self-Check Quizto assess your understanding of this chapter.

0032-0047 CH02-846240 1/10/03 10:23 AM Page 46

Page 16: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

Using Key Terms

Write a short description of a day inthe life of a person who lived during thePaleolithic or Neolithic ages. Use the fol-lowing words in your description.

prehistory civilization migratebands home territory domesticatedpopulation specialization

Understanding Main Ideas

1. What is the main difference betweenthe Paleolithic and Neolithic ages?

2. Why did Paleolithic people move fromplace to place?

3. How did early men and women sharethe work of getting food?

4. How did the discovery of fire affectpeople’s lives?

5. What difference did clothing make inthe way people lived?

6. Why did the Cro-Magnons producecave paintings?

7. How did increased food suppliescause increased population?

8. Why did people in the Neolithic Agebegin to take up different occupations?

9. How did people in the Neolithic Agechange their form of government?

Critical Thinking

1. Do you think the development offarming should be called a revolution?Explain.

2. What would you have liked about liv-ing in Catal Hüyük? What would youhave disliked?

3. How would you have organized workactivities if you had been a villagechief?

Graphic Organizer Activity

Economics Draw a diagram like thisone, and use it to show the steps leadingup to the rise of villages in the NeolithicAge. (Add steps as necessary.)

Geography in History

Environment and Society Whenearly people began to build shelters, theyused some geographic features to decidewhere they would build their homes.What features affected their choice ofbuilding sites? How might geographyaffect their choice of building materials?

AssessmentCHAPTER

Rise of Villages

47

Using Your Journal

Review any details you may

have noted about what early

people went through as civiliza-

tion developed. Pay special at-

tention to new ideas and skills.

Write an essay explaining how

one of their discoveries or inven-

tions set the stage for cultures to

develop.

2

0032-0047 CH02-846240 1/8/03 5:54 PM Page 47

Page 17: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

48

1 Around U N I T

During the prehistoric era, theSahara—the world’s largest desert—lookednothing like it does today. Vast grasslandsstretched across a broad open plain. Riversand shallow lakes shimmered in the sun.The land was wet and green enough tosupport bands of hunters and some of theearth’s earliest communities of herders.

Between 10,000 and 4,000 years ago,the area’s climate changed. The rainsstopped falling and the temperatures rose.The grasslands, rivers, and lakes disap-peared. So did the prehistoric peoples whoonce lived there. However, they left behinda rich legacy of rock art that has kept theirstories alive.

Engravings

Paintings

ATLANTICOCEAN

INDIANOCEAN

S A H A R A

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

50°E40°E30°E20°E10°E0°10°W20°W40°N

30°N

20°N

10°N

10°S

20°S

30°S

0 500

500

1000miles

0 1000kilometers

Prehistoric Art in Africa

� Africa has more prehistoric rock art sites thanany other continent.

� In the dry desert of modern Libya, a life-sizecrocodile stretches across a rock. The engraving,carved about 9,000 years ago, captures a time whenthese giant reptiles soaked up the sun on the banksof ancient rivers.

PREHISTORIC PEOPLES OF THE SAHARA

UNIT 1

0048-0049-U1-ATW-846240 11/22/02 3:20 PM Page 48

Page 18: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

the W rld

� The camel arrived on the Sahara fromAsia about 2,200 years ago. By then thegrasslands of the past had nearly vanished.Today the Sahara is a vast sea of sand androck, covering more than 3.5 millionsquare miles.

Carved more than 7,000 yearsago, this pair of giraffes grazedon the tall grasses that oncecovered the Sahara. Prehistoricpeople may have tried todomesticate, or tame, theseanimals. �

� Starting about 7,500 �

years ago, herding andfarming emerged on thegrassy northern plains of Africa. Paintings andcarvings show the kindsof cattle raised by pre-historic peoples in thisregion.

Taking Another Look1. In what parts of Africa is ancient rock art

found?

2. What types of animals did prehistoric peoples of the region herd?

Hands-On ActivityCreating Art Design a postage stamp that oneof the modern nations in the Sahara might cre-ate to celebrate its rock art. 49

0048-0049-U1-ATW-846240 11/22/02 3:21 PM Page 49

Page 19: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

1. The ways that people build their homescan cause which of the following surfacechanges to the earth?

A EarthquakesB Volcanic eruptionsC ErosionD Advancement of glaciers

2. Some resources are nonrenewable, whileothers are renewable. Which of thefollowing is an example of a renewableresource?

F CoalG MineralsH PlasticJ Timber

3. Many early legends were created asways to

A explain the creation of EarthB explain where archaeological remains

came fromC compare different societiesD introduce children to a tribe’s

language

4. The discovery of the Rosetta Stoneallowed scientists to

F understand the fall of the RomanEmpire

G understand the ancient Egyptianlanguage

H understand how Pompeii wasdestroyed

J translate the ancient Greek languageinto English

Directions: Choose the best answer to each of the followingmultiple choice questions. If you have trouble answering aquestion, use the process of elimination to narrow yourchoices. Write your answers on a separate piece of paper.

50

Test-Taking Tip: Always read thequestion and all of the answer choicescarefully. Avoid answers that seem extreme.For example, it is very unlikely that the waypeople build their homes could cause theadvancement of glaciers. Therefore, you caneliminate answer D.

Test-Taking Tip: Think about themeaning of these terms. Resources, oftenreferred to as “natural resources,” arematerials found in nature. Renewableresources can be replaced as they are used.Nonrenewable resources CANNOT bereplaced. It is a good idea to keep avocabulary list of new words as you read eachnew chapter. The glossary of your textbookcan help you define these unfamiliar words.

Test-Taking Tip: Think of familiarexamples to double-check your understandingof the question. Remember, sometimes morethan one answer seems correct. For instance,though the telling of legends certainly helpedchildren learn a tribe’s language, that was notthe primary reason they were created. Alwayschoose the best answer.

Test-Taking Tip: This question asksyou to remember a fact about the RosettaStone. The Rosetta Stone served as alanguage dictionary. Only two answer choicesdiscuss languages, so you can easilyeliminate the others.

Standardized Test Practice

Page 20: 2 Prehistoric People - Central Dauphin School District...CHAPTER Neolithic pottery Paleolithic carving 2 Prehistoric People 8000 B.C.–3000 B.C.32 UNIT 1 PLACE AND TIME 8000 B.C.New

Standardized Test Practice

51

5. Which of the following CANNOT beshown on the map on the top?

A True direction B Latitude and longitudeC Bodies of waterD The exact size of all continents

6. Which of the following is NOTconsidered an artifact?

F A spearhead from ancient EgyptG A fossil of an extinct fish from the

Paleolithic eraH A clay water pitcher from the Shang

dynastyJ A silver bracelet from Pompeii

7. During the Paleolithic Age, people livedin groups of 20 to 30 people. Increases inpopulation within these bands wereusually caused by

A low average birth weightB discovery of safe migration routesC a stable food supplyD frequent natural disasters

Test-Taking Tip: The map on the top iscalled a Mercator projection. Remember, amap projection is a way of representing around earth on a flat piece of paper. Whatbecomes distorted in a Mercator projection?

Test-Taking Tip: Another importantterm to remember is artifact. Artifacts arethings made by people. Be careful when aquestion uses the words NOT or EXCEPT—overlooking these words is a common error.Look for the answer choice that does NOT fit.

Test-Taking Tip: Eliminate answers thatdo not make sense. For example, answers Aand D probably would probably cause a dropin population rather than an increase.

0050-0051-U1-STP-846240 1/2/03 1:34 PM Page 51