chapter 1 – the beginnings of civilization. the big picture: as early humans slowly spread from...
Post on 26-Dec-2015
223 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 1 – The Beginnings of Civilization
The Big Picture:As early humans slowly spread from Africa
to other parts of the world, they struggled to survive by using stone tools and weapons
to hunt animals, catch fish, and gather plants and nuts. For hundreds of thousands of years, humans lived in this way. Then, as
the last Ice Age ended, some learned to farm. This breakthrough gave rise to
villages and cities, and in time, to the first civilizations. In this chapter you will learn how humans spread to other parts of the
world and established the first civilizations.
Section 1 - The First People
Main Idea
Scientific evidence suggests that modern humans spread from Africa to other lands and gradually developed ways to adapt to their environment.
Reading Focus
• What methods are used to study the distant past?
• What does evidence suggest about human origins?
• How did early people spread around the world?
• How did early people adapt to life in the Stone Age?
I. Studying the Distant Past
Scientists interpret prehistory by using the scientific method
The scientific method is the process by which scientists, collectively and over time, endeavor to construct an accurate, reliable, consistent and non-arbitrary representation of the world
I. Studying the Distant Past
Anthropologists study fossils, artifacts, or culture
I. Studying the Distant Past
Culture: beliefs, knowledge, and patterns of living
II. Human Origins1959 –Mary Leakey finds hominid skull fragments
Reconstructed replica of 1.75 million year-old “Nutcracker Man” from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
Louis and Mary Leakey in Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge
II. Human Origins
1974 - hominid “Lucy” was found in Ethiopia by Donald Johanson
"Lucy," - 3 million year-old female hominid discovered at Hadar in 1974
II. Human Origins
Both hominids were Australopithecines, or “southern ape”
II. Human Origins1978 – Leakey found 3.5 million year-old hominid footprints
Leakey working at the Laetoli, Tanzania, site where fossil footprints were found in hardened volcanic ash, 1978.
II. Human OriginsOther stone-tool making hominids lived in East Africa about 2 million years ago
1. Australopithecus afarensis
2. Australopithecus africanus
3. Homo habilis 4. Homo erectus 5. Neandertal
The world's oldest known child was discovered in East Africa. The 3.3-million-year-old fossilized toddler was uncovered in north Ethiopia's badlands along the Great Rift Valley.
II. Human Origins
Homo Sapiens appeared about 200,000 years ago
All humans today belong to the species Homo Sapiens
Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. The lighter layers in the outcrop are volcanic ash layers.
III. Spreading around the World
Several Ice Ages occurred over the last 1.6 million years
III. Spreading around the WorldHumans began migrating out of Africa when sea levels dropped, creating land bridges
III. Spreading around the WorldNeanderthals, early Homo Sapiens, lived 200,000 to 30,000years ago
III. Spreading around the WorldCro-Magnons appeared about 40,000 years ago; left cave paintings
IV. Life in the Stone Age
Stone Age –began with development of stone tools
IV. Life in the Stone Age
First part of Stone Age called Paleolithic Age, or Old Stone Age
Paleolithic comes from the Greek for “ancient” and “stone”. It began about 2.5 million years ago and lasted until about 10,000 years ago (Over 2 million years)
IV. Life in the Stone Age
Stone Age people were nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived in small bands
IV. Life in the Stone Age
Archeologists have found that they wore clothing, used fire, and had tools
IV. Life in the Stone AgeClothing, fire, and shelter helped them adapt and live in different environments
IV. Life in the Stone AgeThey practiced animism; buried dead with food and tools, showing belief in afterlife
top related