Transcript Chapter 1 – Foundations of Civilizations Section 1

Chapter 1 – Foundations of
Civilizations
Section 1 - Studying the Historical
Past
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Historians learn detailed events through the
study of artifacts
Historians use photographs and films to study
recent past
Historians explain why things happen by using
past events
Historians beliefs influence their opinions
+ Investigating Prehistory
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Scholars study prehistory to learn about origins
and development of people and societies
Section 1
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Anthropology is the study of change from
different time periods
Archaeologists use artifacts to learn about life
over time
Archaeologists would pick a site to dig at
Archaeologists used computers to hold data
and study their findings
+ Discoveries in Africa and Beyond
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Ancient tools were found by the Leakey's and
they determined the tools to be new technology
Section 1
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The Leakey's found these artifacts at the
Olduvai Gorge
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Mary Leakey found a skull in rock
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Humans are the only Hominids today
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Donald Johansen found an early skeleton of a
hominid that dates back 3 million years
He named one skeleton Lucy and she was
about 4 ft. tall
Lucy was a hominid known as
Austrolopithecines
Section 1
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Aust. Were around 7 million years old
Homo Habilis were the first people to use stone
tools
Anthropologists uncovered tools dating back 2.6
million years
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Homo Habilis – means handy man
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Homo Erectus – means upright man
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They were first out of Africa and first to use fire
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They made an axe, had large brains, and were
bigger
Section 1
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Homo Erectus turned into Homo Sapiens
Some think Homo Sapiens come from Africa,
others think we evolved from around the world
Neandrathals disappeared on Earth 50,000 to
30,000 years ago
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Located in Europe and Western Asia
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Leaving humans as the only homonids on Earth
Section 2 – Turning Point: The
Neolithic Revolution
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Prehistory is divided into several eras
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Old Stone Age (Paleolithic Period) 2 mil. B.C. about 10,000 B.C.
New Stone Age (Neolithic Period) after 10,000
B.C.
+ Skills and Beliefs of the Old Stone Age
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Nomads lived toward the end of the Old stone
age
Nomads live in groups of 20 to 30 people and
survived by hunting and gathering food
Nomads made tools using stone, bone, and
Section 2
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Some old stone age people traveled across
water most likely using rafts or canoes
Anthropologists believe that people began to
believe in life after death towards the end of the
Old Stone Age
Scholars believed that our ancestors believed
in Annimism
Scholars learn about ancestors through cave
paintings
Section 2
+ The New Stone Age Begins With Farming
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People no longer had to roam and look for food
because of the transition from nomadic life to
settled farming called the Neolithic Period
Early farmers were the first to domesticate
plants and animals
Domesticating animals provided new benefits,
such as milk and eggs, as well as the old uses
such as food and skins
Section 2
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Different people farmed in different parts of the
world and domesticated different plants and
animals
The dog was the first animal to be domesticated
at least 15,000 years ago
+ The Neolithic Revolution Brings Dramatic
Change
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Settled farming led to the establishment of the
first villages and to significant advances in
technology and culture
Section 2
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Archaeologists have found some of the remains
of Neolithic villages such as Catathuyuk and
Jericho
Huge walls surrounding Jericho suggest that it
had a government or a leader that was able to
organize a large construction project
In settled farming communities, men began to
dominate family, economic, and political life and
the heads of the families formed a council of
elders that made decisions
Section 2
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Settled people had more property and
possessions than Nomadic people so wealth
differences began to appear
To farm successfully, people had to learn how
to protect crops and make measurements
These measurements helped to create the first
calenders
Technologies were invented at different places
at different times
Section 3 – First Cities and
Civilizations Arise
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Civilizations lived close to rivers
Animals flocked to rivers, which made hunting
easier
Farmers grew more to feed a bigger population
Bigger population allowed people to specialize
in different jobs
Most civilizations lived in a river valley
People learned to farm in swamps and the
highlands
Nomads had to move for fresh pasture lands
Section 3
+ Basic Features That Define Civilization
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Early civilizations had organized governments
Council of elders ruled many of the farming
villages
Well organized governments can bring people
together for projects
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Relied on Royal Officials
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People believed in multiple Gods (Polytheistic)
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Priests ran ceremonies to honor Gods
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Priests had special training and knowledge
Section 3
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They made weapons out of copper than
changed to bronze which is stronger
People became dependent on specialization of
other people
Social Classes: Priests and Nobles were at the
top and peasants and farmers were at the
bottom
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Slaves were the lowest social class
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Many slaves were women and children
Section 3
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Rulers ordered buildings to be built with God's
and Goddesses to be featured
Big buildings represent power
Public works protected cities from attack by
building walls
Improved transportation by building bridges and
roads
Priests were the first ones to use a writing
system
Ancient writings were found on pots
Section 3
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Priests, merchants, and rulers used scribes
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The very first form of writing was pictographs
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Only a few societies allowed women to be
scribes
Nomads excelled in Arts and Sciences, for
example making jewelry
+ Civilizations Change Over Time
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Your environment affects how you live
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Natural disasters might force people to move
Section 3
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People had to adapt to their environment to
build things
Cultural diffusion happens through migration,
trade, and warfare
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Disaster changes peoples cultures
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Conquered people get culture forced upon them
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Rulers, priests, and nobles ran the city-states
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Portions of every crop went to the government
and temples
Section 3
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If you conquer enough city states you can
become an empire
Powerful empires left lasting legacies