ap world history chapter 1 before history 1. forming the complex society basic development: –...
TRANSCRIPT
AP World HistoryChapter 1
Before History
1
Forming the Complex Society
• Basic development:– Hunting and foraging– Agriculture– Complex society
• Key issue: surplus capital• Major development of first
complex societies 3500 B.C.E. – 500 B.C.E
3
Prehistory• What is “history”?• Documentation– Written records– Archaeological discovery
• Requisite human presence (or “natural” history)
Moai statues in PolynesiaStonehenge 2400 BCE
Cuneiform writing
4
Development of Hominids
• Animals adapt themselves to environment
• Hominids adapt environment to themselves– Use of tools– Language– Complex cooperative social
structures
5
Australopithecus
• “The southern ape” – despite name, a hominid
• Discovery of skeleton, north of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia– Nicknamed “Lucy”
• 3’5”, 55lb., bipedal, brain 500 cc (modern human: 1400 cc), limited speech but opposable digit
Lucy - 3.2 Million years old
6
Later Hominids
• Homo erectus, “upright walking human”– Larger brain capacity (1000 cc),
improved tool use, control of fire, ability to communicate complex ideas
• Homo sapiens, “consciously thinking human”– Largest brain, esp. frontal regions– Most sophisticated tools and social
organization; flexible language
• Migrations of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens
7
Global Migrations of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens
8
The Natural Environment
• By 13,000 B.C.E., Homo sapiens in every inhabitable part of the world
• Archaeological finds:– Sophisticated tools
• Choppers, scrapers, axes, knives, bows, arrows• Cave and hut-like dwellings• Use of fire, animal skins
• Hunted several mammal species to extinction– Climatic change may have accelerated
process
10
Relative Social Equality
• Nomadic culture precludes accumulation of land-based wealth– Relatively egalitarian (equal)
existence– More likely determinants of status:
age, hunting skill, fertility, personality– Possible gender equality related to
food production– Men: protein from hunting– Women: plant gathering
11
Big-Game Hunting
• Evidence of intelligent coordination of hunting expeditions– Development of weaponry– Animal-skin disguises– Stampeding tactics
• Lighting of fires, etc., to drive game into kill zones
• Required planning, communication
12
Paleolithic Settlements
• Natufian society– Modern Israel and Jordan– Wild wheat, herding
• Jomon society– Japan– Wild buckwheat, fishing
• Chinook society– Pacific northwest– Berries, acorns, salmon runs
• Groups of 1000 or more
13
Neandertal Peoples
• Neander valley, western Germany
• Flourished in Europe and southwest Asia, 200,000 to 35,000 years ago
• Also found in Africa, east Asia
• Evidence of spirituality: ritual burial
• Inhabited some of the same areas as Homo sapiens
14
Creativity of Homo sapiens
• flexible languages for communication of complex ideas
• Increased variety of tools – stone blades, spear throwers, sewing needles, barbed harpoons
• Fabricated ornamental beads, necklaces and bracelets
• The bow and arrow – a dramatic improvement in humans’ power over nature
• “Venus” figurines• Cave paintings
15
Neolithic Era (“New Stone Age”)
• Distinction in tool production– Chipped vs. polished
• Relied on cultivation for subsistence– Men: herding animals rather than
hunting – Women: nurturing vegetation
rather than foraging• Spread of agriculture – Slash-and-burn techniques– Exhaustion of soil promotes
migration– Transport of crops from one region
to another
16
Origins and Early Spread of Agriculture
Early Agricultural Society
• Emergence of villages and towns• Discoveries at Çatal Hüyük – a
prominent village located in Turkey, occupied 7250-5400 B.C.E. – Pots, baskets, textiles, leather,
stone, metal tools, wood carvings, carpets, beads, and jewelry
• Development of crafts – pottery, metallurgy, and textile production
18
Catul Huyuk
19
Social Distinctions
• Accumulation of landed wealth initiates development of social classes
• Individuals could trade surplus food for valuable items
• Archaeological evidence in variety of household decorations, goods buried with deceased members of society at Çatal Hüyük
20
Neolithic Culture
• Farmers closely observed the natural world – an early kind of applied science
• Elements of natural environment essential for functioning
• Archaeological evidence of religious worship: thousands of clay figurines, drawings on pots, tool decorations, other ritual objects– Fertility: Venus figurines
21
The Origins of Urban Life
• Craft specialization• Social stratification• Governance• Cultural workers• Development of the city –
a gradual process