PreHistory
Chapter IPre-history to 3500 BC
PRE-HISTORYProblems to Solve• TEXT
PRE-HISTORYVocabulary• Historians—people who
study history• Pre-history—the period
before writing was developed
• Archaeology—Study of past societies
• Anthropology—study of human life and culture
PRE-HISTORYVocabulary• Artifacts—tools,
paintings, pottery, weapons, buildings and household items
• Fossils—remains of a living creature
PRE-HISTORYDating Fossils and Artifacts
• Radiocarbon dating• Only accurate up to 50,000 years
• Thermo-luminescence dating• Good up to 200K years
Man• Hominids
• Humans and other creatures that walk upright• Australopithecines
• The first hominids
PRE-HISTORY
Man• Hominids
• Humans and other creatures that walk upright• Homo erectus
• “Upright human beings”
PRE-HISTORY
Man• Hominids
• Humans and other creatures that walk upright• Homo sapiens
• “Wise human being”
PRE-HISTORY
Neanderthals
Homo sapiens sapiens
PRE-HISTORYLife in Paleolithic Planet Earth• Paleolithic Age—
• Hunted and gathered
• Men hunted large animals and gathered; Women gathered and hunted small animals.
• Used simple weapons
• Women raised kids
• Nomadic
PRE-HISTORYNeolithic Revolution• Neolithic means “new stone,” hence the New
Stone Age
• The Change
• a shift from a hunter-gatherer society to systematic agriculture.
• They grew their own crops and domesticated animals for consumption.
PRE-HISTORYNeolithic Revolution• Why was such a change a “revolution”?
• End of the nomadic way of life• Beginning of community
• Crops and Cattle• Wheat and barley• Pigs, cows, goats, and sheep
• Agriculture spread from SW Asia to SE Europe, Nile valley in Egypt to the rest of Africa, India, and then to China and the New World.
PRE-HISTORYNeolithic Revolution• Farming Villages
• Oldest are in SW Asia—Jericho • Catal Hüyük,
Turkey
PRE-HISTORYNeolithic Revolution• Artisans
• As agriculture progressed, people had time to learn other skills and build non-sustaining buildings
• Examples: weaponry, jewelers, religious temples, fortified buildings and walls
• Trade began
PRE-HISTORYEnd of an Age• The New Stone Age ended
• Why?• With the newly found use of metal instead
of stone, tools and life were made easier.• Copper was used first• Then when combined with tin they got
bronze• Thus the beginning of the Bronze Age
PRE-HISTORYDawn of Civilization
• Beginning of Civilization• def.- complex culture in which large numbers
of people share a number of common elements• Six Parts
• Rise of cities• develop in river valleys
• because of the need of water for farming
PRE-HISTORYDawn of Civilization• Government
• to organize agriculture, defense of a city, and armies
• usually monarchs (kings or queens) ruled
• Religion• all civilizations developed a religion
• priests supervised rituals to please the gods
• rulers claimed power by divine approval
PRE-HISTORYDawn of Civilization
• Society becomes structured• Classes develop
• Upper class—rulers and monarchs• Free class—farmers, artisans, and
craftsmen• Slave class
• Advancements• independent by city, sometimes spread• not all advanced as quickly as others
PRE-HISTORYDawn of Civilization
• Writing• first used to create records• the first were numbers, then symbols• all societies eventually use writing• first literature came soon after
• Art• Building structures
• Temples and pyramids• Paintings and sculpture