Paleolithic and Neolithic

World History

SOL WHI.2a,b,c,d

Essential Questions

• How did physical geography influence the lives of early humans?

• What were the characteristics of hunter gatherer societies?

• How did the beginning of agriculture and the domestication of animals promote the rise of settled communities?

• How does archaeology provide knowledge of early human life and its changes?

Archaeology

• Archaeologists study past cultures by locating and analyzing human remains, settlements, fossils, and artifacts.

• Artifacts can be tools, weapons, clothing, pottery, and jewelry.

• By analyzing artifacts archaeologists draw conclusions about the beliefs, values, and activities of our ancestors.

Archaeology

• Archaeologists have devised many useful techniques. They pick a likely spot to dig and the deeper they dig, the older the artifacts they find.

• Archaeologists make detailed maps of every artifact they find. This helps them draw conclusions about how a site changed over time.

• Archaeologists can also use carbon dating to analyze fossils and artifacts.

Diagram of Igbo Burial

Archaeologists diagram of anIgbo burial site in Africa. Byanalyzing the artifacts in thisburial we can make educatedhypotheses about how the Igbolived, their level of technology,and trade patterns in the area.

Archaeology

• The following are a few examples of important archaeological sites around the world.

A. Stonehenge - A site in England that began in the Neolithic and ended in the Bronze Age.

B. Aleppo and Jericho - Early cities in the Fertile Crescent.

C. C. Catal Huyuk - Neolithic settlement in modern day Turkey.

Stonehenge

Catal Huyuk

Catal Huyuk

Catal Huyuk

Homo Sapiens

• Homo Sapiens emerged in East Africa between 100,000 - 400,000 years ago.

• Homo Sapiens migrated from Africa to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas

• Early humans were hunters and gatherers whose survival depended on the availability of wild plants and animals.

Human Migration

Paleolithic

• Hunter gatherer societies during the Paleolithic

A. Were nomadic

B. Invented the first tools, including simple weapons

C. Learned how to make and use fire

D. Lived in clans

E. Developed oral language and created cave art

Glyptodon Hunt

During the Paleolithic people hunted many large animalsthat are now extinct.

Paleolithic Tools

Cave Art

Neolithic

• Societies during the Neolithic Age

A. Developed agriculture

B. Domesticated plants and animals

C. Used advanced tools such as the chisel, hoe, potter’s wheel, and yoke

D. Made pottery

E. Developed weaving

Neolithic

• About 11,000 years ago nomadic bands learned how to farm. By producing their own food they could remain in one place. Farmers settled permanent villages and developed a new range of skills and tools.

• People also learned to domesticate, or tame, some animals they had once hunted. They then herded these animals and penned them in enclosures.

Neolithic House

Neolithic site in Scotland

Neolithic House

Reconstruction of Neolithic house in Bosnia

Neolithic House

Depiction of life in Catal Huyuk, Turkey

Neolithic Diagram

Neolithic Chart