Civilization BeginsChapter 1

Prehistory – 3000 B.C.

Measurement of TimePrehistory to 0 • B.C. – Before Christ or…• B.C.E.– Before Common Era Year 1 to present is referred to as:• A.D. – Anno Domini or…• C.E – common era

The Geographer • Study people & their environment• Study five major themes:1. Location - where a place is on the surface of the Earth2. Interaction - how people have shaped and been shaped

by the places where they lived3. Movement - of people, goods, and ideas4. Place - physical & human characteristics of a location5. Region - places with similar unifying physical, economic,

or cultural features.

1.1

The Archeologists…

• Study Prehistory - before there was writing.

• Study artifacts - objects made by people, such as tools, weapons, pottery, clothing, and jewelry.

• Study written evidence such as letters or tax records and visual evidence such as photographs or films to reconstruct the past.

• Evaluate information for reliability

The Historian

Paleolithic Age• Old Stone Age • Lasted until ~10,000 BCE

– Hunter/gatherers or nomads.– Made clothes & tools (i.e. spears &

axes from natural materials) – Built fires– Developed spoken languages– Religions began

Sungir, Russia, buried

some 25,000 years ago

1.2

Neolithic Age

• New Stone Age• Learned to farm

– Plant seeds & domesticated animals– Transformed our existence

• Appx. 5,000 years ago, these advances led to the rise of civilizations.– Social hierarchy (leader, farmers, etc.)– Accumulation of personal property– New technologies

Paleolithic vs. Neolithic Use 22-30 pg. in your textbook to compare/contrast Paleolithic vs. Neolithic peoples.

Paleolithic Neolithic

Time Frame 2.5 million years --> ___________________ 8,000 --> __________

Lifestyle1.2.3.

1.2.3.

Housing Shelter

1.2.

1.2.

Food1.2.3.

1.2.3.

Tools1.2.

1.2.

Homework:

• Read the article, “Pros and Cons of Farming.”

Hunting/Gathering vs FarmingPros

Cons

Beginnings of Civilizations

Cities first arose in river valleys because:

1. Water2. Farming3. Renewable soil4. Animals 5. Transportation

Civilizations EmergeFarmers began cultivating lands along river

valleys & producing surplus

Surpluses helped populations expand

As population grew, villages swelled into cities

8 features common to early civs:

1. Cities– In fertile areas (near rivers) producing a food surplus.

2. Well-organized central governments– Needed to maintain order and the surplus– Divine Right– Bureaucracy developed

3. Complex religions– Polytheistic, believing in many gods– Controlling the natural forces and human activities– People created ceremonies, temples and priests to

intervene with the gods on behalf of the people4. Job specialization

– Artisans, priests, farmers, weapons maker and soldiers

Features5. Social classes

– The importance of the persons job ranked them socially

6. Arts and architecture– Temples to the gods– Places for the rulers

7. Public works to benefit the city– Defensive walls, irrigation systems,

roads and bridges8. Writing

– Pictograms– Leaders needed to keep records

Up Next…Ancient Egypt