the beginnings of human society, global 9th 2014 15
Post on 03-Jun-2015
104 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
The Beginnings of Human Society
The Beginnings of Human Society
Learning About the Past Learning About the Past
How do we know about prehistoric times?
How do we know about prehistoric times?
Two kinds of scientists
Archaeologists
Anthropologists
ArchaeologistsArchaeologists• Scientists who study the
remains of prehistoric society
• Prehistoric – before writing was invented, before recorded history
• They look for clues that tell how people lived
ArcheologistsArcheologistsDig through the soil where ancient people may have lived
ArcheologistsArcheologistsLook for artifacts that may tell us how they lived
Artifacts useful to archaeologists may include:
Artifacts useful to archaeologists may include:
• mummies
Figurines and statues
Stones / tools
coins
pottery
Weapons Weapons
Jewelry and
clothing
Baskets and woven objects
ArcheologyArcheology
• Archeologists divided prehistoric times into three eras
• Stone Age – people used stone tools and weapons
ArcheologyArcheology
• Bonze Age – people used bronze tools and weapons
ArcheologyArcheology
• Iron Age – people learned to use iron tools and weapons
Anthropologists Anthropologists• Scientists who study human beings and
how they interact with each other and with the environment
AnthropologistsAnthropologists• Study human cultures
AnthropologistsAnthropologists• Many anthropologists go to live with the
people they are studying
Primary and Secondary Sources
Primary and Secondary Sources
Historians use primary and secondary sources to learn about the past
Shttp://www.yale.edu/collections_collaborative/primarysources/primarysources.htmlources =
Primary Sources - 1st-hand, or eyewitness accounts of the eventPrimary Sources - 1st-hand, or
eyewitness accounts of the event
secondary sources - second-hand accounts of events written by people who weren’t
there
secondary sources - second-hand accounts of events written by people who weren’t
there
Radiocarbon DatingRadiocarbon DatingAn important method used by scientists to determine how old something is
all living things have carbon
some of the carbon is radioactive
some radioactive carbon stays in animals and plants for thousands of years after they die
scientists measure the radioactivity of artifacts to tell how old they are
Discoveries of Early Humans
Discoveries of Early Humans
• Richard and Mary Leakey – archaeologists
• In 1924, they began searching for prehistoric humans in East Africa
Discoveries of Early Humans
Discoveries of Early Humans
• 1959 – Mary Leakey found the oldest hominid – Australopithecus
Discoveries of Early Humans
Discoveries of Early Humans
• 1960 – Jonathan Leakey, Richard and Mary’s son, discovered “Homo Habilis”
Discoveries of Early Humans
Discoveries of Early Humans
• Donald Johanson discovered a female Australopithecus in Africa
• Named the remains “Lucy”
Neanderthals
discovered in 1856, in Neander Valley, GermanyAre not considered ancestors of humans, but similar to humanswore animal skin clothing
supposed to have died out 20,000 years agomay have been able to speakmade tools out of animal bones and stones
Cro-Magnons1st discovered in 1868, Francealso called “Homo-Sapiens,” like humansconsidered to be our ancestorsthought to have appeared 40,000 years agohad calendars, spoken languagewere hunters and toolmakers
The Lascaux CavesThe Lascaux Caves
The Lascaux CavesThe Lascaux Caves
The Lascaux CavesThe Lascaux Caves
The Lascaux CavesThe Lascaux Caves
The Lascaux CavesThe Lascaux Caves
The Paleolithic EraThe Paleolithic EraPaleolithic = the Old Stone Age
- between 2 million & 12,000 yrs ago
The Paleolithic EraThe Paleolithic Era
• 1.5 million years ago, glaciers covered much of Europe and North America with ice and snow
• This is called the “Ice Age”
As the glaciers melted, the Ice Age endedpeople & animals slowly spread out to the rest of the
world
How people lived during the Paleolithic Era
How people lived during the Paleolithic Era
• Nomads-Hunters/gatherers
• Lived in caves / tents
Inventions & discoveries of the Paleolithic Era
Inventions & discoveries of the Paleolithic Era
• Tools & weapons made of stone & bone
• Language
• Fire
• Uses of fire
• Keep warm
• Cook food
• Hunt animals
• Keep animals away at night
The Neolithic EraThe Neolithic Era• Three important changes
• Agriculture – farming
• People began to plant crops instead of gathering them in the wild
domestication of animals
domestication of animals
• Animals began to work for people
settled communitiessettled communities
• People needed to live in one place for a long time in order to farm their crops
• They had tame animals to eat and to help them farm the land
• They did not need to hunt and gather as much anymore
More Inventions of the Neolithic Era
More Inventions of the Neolithic Era
•irrigation•People learned to dig ditches to bring water for crops to dry land
• The plow
•Cloth weaving
Pottery- making
• The specialization of labor
• ppl began to specialize in different jobs
• They began to trade their wares with each
• other = barter economy
•some ppl became merchants – brought
• goods to sell from town to town
The First Governments
The First Governments
How did they begin?•Maybe to settle arguments over property rights and boundaries.•Maybe, they were connected to religion.•We don’t really know
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization
• What is a civilization?
• A community of citizens that had the following features:
• Cities and government
• Job specialization/advanced technology
• Social classes and religion
• Writing and record keeping
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization
• Cities and Government
• Cities were centers of government
• Different officials oversaw tax collection, the army and law enforcement
• They were also centers of trade and barter
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization
• Job Specialization and Advanced Technology
• In a hunting/gathering society, everyone is needed in order to produce enough food.
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization
• Job Specialization and Advanced Technology
• In an agricultural society, a few people could grow enough food for all
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization
• Job Specialization and Advanced Technology
• Other people began to do other jobs:
• Pottery-makers, weavers, metalworkers, builders, priests, soldiers
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization
• Job Specialization and Advanced Technology
• As people specialized in one area, they became experts
• This led to the development of advanced technology
• People learned how to build huge stone cities and temples
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization• This era is called “The Bronze Age”
• People became experts at metalworking
• They made weapons, tools, and jewelry out of bronze
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization
• Social Classes and Religion
• People became divided by their role in society
• Some were considered more important
• Some were less important
• This is called social class
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization
• Social Class and Religion• Government and religion were closely
tied• Many rulers considered themselves gods• Many cities had their own religion• Religions were polytheistic – many gods
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization
• Writing and Record Keeping• Cities became more complex• People needed a way to record events
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization
• Writing and Record Keeping• Merchants needed to keep track of sales
and inventory• Rulers needed to write down laws and
taxes
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization
• Writing developed
The Rise of CivilizationThe Rise of Civilization• The first writing was pictographs
• Gradually, writing became more complex and symbolic
River ValleysRiver Valleys
River ValleysRiver Valleys• Ancient Civilizations started in river valleys
• The soil was richest there
• Rivers served as natural “highways” connecting people and goods
top related