Transcript Homo erectus

Chapter 1
Section 1
Geography
-study of people, their environments, and the
resources available to them
5 Themes
 Location
-tells you where something is on surface of Earth
-Latitude and Longitude
-Relative Location
-Latitude measures distance N&S of Equator
-Longitude measures distance E&W of Prime
Meridian
Place
-Human characteristics
Where people live, economics, religion, language
-Physical features
Landforms, bodies of water, climate, soil, plant
and animal life, resources
 Human-Environment Interaction
-using surroundings to advantage or clearing for
something more “important”
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Movement
-of people, goods, and ideas
Following herds of animals or
moving for a job
 Region
-based on physical location or
could be due to political,
economic, or cultural
features
Gulf states of Persian Gulf
(physical) but broken down
into Arabic speaking and
Muslim areas
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Prehistory
-long period of time before
people invented systems of
writing
 Anthropology
-study of origins and development of societies
Culture- way of life in a society that is passed on
 Archaeology
-study of past people and cultures,
analyze remains to add to written
records
Artifacts- objects made by humans
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Relative Dating?
Using artifacts to determine age
Absolute Dating?
Using precise methods, chemicals, wood rings,
carbon
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Computers- store and collect data
Photography- patterns of how land used
Radioactivity- determine age of certain objects
Geologists- date rocks near objects for age
Zoologists- examine seeds and animal bones to
learn about diets
Climatologists- develop possible weather
patterns
Biologists analyze human bones and
bloodstains on stone tools or weapons
Historians
-study how people lived in the past
Look at artifacts but rely heavily on written works
 Detection
-historian must evaluate evidence to determine if
reliable and then interpret
-explain the meaning; why something happened
-opinions may affect their interpretations
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How do you personally interact with your
environment?
How do anthropologists and archaeologists learn
about the lives of prehistoric people?
Why do you think it is important for us to
understand our past?
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Mary and Louis Leakey 1930s, Tanzania in Olduvai
Gorge. Bottom layers 1.7 to 2.1 million years old
Found tools of stone with decent technology
1959 Mary found skull belonging to Hominid?
Group that includes humans and closest relatives
that walk upright
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1974 Donald Johanson in Ethiopia found
hominid skeleton at least 3 million years old
Named “Lucy” after a Beatles song
Upright walker about 4 feet tall
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Number of different hominid groups around
over millions of years
Australopithecines (aw stray loh pith uh synz)earliest, in Africa, 7 million years ago, “Lucy”
Homo habilis- 2 million years, “handy man”,
stone tools for all activities
Homo erectus- 2 million years, “upright man”,
larger brains, bones, smaller teeth, fire, ax
Remains found in Asia and Europe, first to
migrate?
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250,000 to 100,000 years ago Homo erectus
disappeared and new group, Homo sapiens,
emerged
2 Theories
“Out of Africa”- first lived in Africa and
migrated to other parts of world
Homo erectus developed into Homo sapiens
around same time in different parts of world
Either way they eventually evolved into
Neanderthals
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What types of obstacles do historians have to
overcome to give a straightforward account of
events? How do you think they might do this?
In what ways do archaeologists work with new
technologies and other scholars in their work?
Describe the story that anthropologists think the
bones and tools they have discovered reveal about
prehistory.
Use these terms in a complete sentence that helps
explain what the word means. (prehistory, historian,
artifact, anthropology, culture, archaeology,
Leakeys, Lucy, Olduvai Gorge)