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EXPLORING PREHISTORY
• Hominids: group that includes humans as well as earlier human-like creatures
• Paleo-anthropologists– study the remains of hominid skeletons – Determine what early hominids looked like & how they lived
Archeologists– Study artifacts, objects made & used by hominids– Learn about ancient people & their cultures– Culture is the beliefs, knowledge and the way of life
developed by a group of people.
Human Ancestors
• The earliest known hominids lived in Africa. The earliest hominid bones are about 6 million years old, but not much is known about the very early examples.
Human Ancestors- Ardipithecus• Ardipithecus: appeared about
4.4 million years ago; – lived in Africa (Ethiopia),
nicknamed “Ardi”. – Walked upright on the ground, but
on “all fours” in trees. – About 3 ½ feet tall; ate mostly
fruits & nuts. – Discovered in 1994, but the study
was completed & published in 2009.
Human Ancestors• Australopithecus:
appeared about 4 million years ago– Lived in Africa
(Ethiopia) – Walked upright;
had a larger brain than “Ardi”,
– about 3 ½ feet tall; Ate nuts, roots, other wild plants
“Lucy”• Early hominid skeleton found in
Hadar, Ethiopia by Donald Johansson
• Named “Lucy” after a Beatles song
• “Lucy” is an example of Australopithecus. She lived about 3.2 million years old
• One of the most complete early skeletons, about 40% complete
Human Ancestors – genus “Homo” • Homo Habilis (“handy man”) about 2 ½ million yr. ago
– Lived in Africa; about 4 feet tall, larger brain that Australopithecus.
– One of the first hominid who made stone tools.
– Homo Erectus (“upright man”) about 1 ½ million years ago
– Larger in size, about 5 feet tall, larger brain than Homo Habilis.
– Hunted for food, as well as gathered wild plants
– Used and made fire– Migrated and spread from Africa into Asia.
Homo Sapiens• Two early types• Neanderthals
– Lived about 130,000-35,000 yr. ago. This group died out.
– Wore animal skins; cooked their food; buried their dead with grave gifts & flowers (may have had a belief in life after death)
– Heavier bodies than later Homo Sapiens
• Cro-Magnon– Appeared about 35,000 years ago;
looked essentially like modern humans & were ancestors of modern humans
– Had better tools & weapons– Created beautiful cave art
SEVERAL TYPES OF VIEWS about the origin of HUMANITY
• CREATIONISM: God created humans and all species just are they are today. They have not changed.
• SCIENTIFIC EVOLUTION: Humans and other species evolved naturally, without a creator.
• DEISTIC or THEISTIC EVOLUTION: Humans and other species evolved as scientists believe they did, but the process was guided by God.
Ice Ages
• Periods of colder climate and increased ice have occurred many times in the history of the earth
• Several times within the last 1.7 million years, ice has covered much of the earth.
• During these periods of ice, sea levels dropped and land was exposed in places, making it easier for people and animals to migrate over these land bridges.
3 early ages of humans
• Paleolithic age-old stone age (2 ½ million yr. ago – 12,000 yr. ago)
• Mesolithic age- middle stone age (12,000 yr. ago -10,000 yr. ago)
• Neolithic age-new stone age (10,000 yr. ago-4,000 yr. ago)
3 early ages: PALEOLITHIC AGE
• About 2 ½ million years ago to about 12,000 years ago (about 10,000BC)
• Old Stone Age: “Paleo” means “old”; “lithic” means “stone”
• People: – Used stone tools– Were nomadic– Were hunter-gatherers– Eventually spread through most parts of the world
3 early ages: Mesolithic Age
• About 12,000 years ago (about10,000BC) to about 10,000 years ago (about 8,000BC)
• Middle Stone Age. “meso”-middle. • More sophisticated tools and weapons
– Bow and arrow– Fishhooks (made of bone)– Harpoons (bone and antler)
• Tamed the dog (first domesticated animal)• Used dugout canoes to fish in deeper water
NEOLITHIC AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION!!!!!
• About 10,000 years ago, or 8,000BC, somewhere in the Middle East, northern Iraq or southern Turkey
• Made the discovery that plants grow from seeds and began to plant crops, the first farming!
• Began to herd animals, in addition to hunting. • The changed from food gathering to food
producing is called the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution
• This radically changed human culture!!!
Neolithic Age• About 10,000 years ago (8,000BC) to
about 4,000 years ago (2,000BC).
• Farming (raising crops & herding animals): – Wheat, barley, rice, millet– Sheep, goats, cattle– Eventually used the plow & simple fertilizer
• Better tools including points produced by polishing & grinding.
• People stopped being nomadic& settled in villages, towns, and eventually, cities