Prehistory Overview
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Transcript Prehistory Overview
Prehistory
Overview
(A look at some broad changes over
time)
Hey, where
did my jaw
go?
Who were the ancestors of
modern humans?
Australopithecus (think of Lucy vs.
Small brain
Large Teeth
Hominid
Large brain
Small teeth
Homo habilis = first human species to use tools
Homo erectus = first human species to walk upright
Homo sapiens= first human species to “think” or
plan… our species!
Paleolithic Age
(6,000,000 to 8,000
B.C.)
• During Ice Age
• Food obtained by hunting/ gathering
• Advancements:
Stone tools
Fire
Spoken language
• Two groups active in the Paleolithic Age:
Neantherthals and Cro-Magnons
A reconstructed
Neanderthal skeleton (left)
as compared to a modern
human.
What differences between
the two do you notice?
Image from:
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Ph
otos/050310/neanderthal.vlarge.
Mesolithic Age
Ice Age over
Advancements:
(8,000 to 6,000 B.C.)
I owe it all
to the
Mesolithic
man!
Fishing (boats, nets, fish hook)
Wild dogs (jackals) domesticated
Tools such as harpoons, bows, arrows
The Neolithic Age
(6,000 to 3,000
B.C.)
FARMING and HERDING are discovered
in the fertile area of Mesopotamia!
The discovery of FARMING and
HERDING is called the Neolithic
Revolution
Results of the Neolithic
Revolution
permanent villages (people no longer moving
with food source)
population grows (more food; grain can be
stored)
“ownership” of land (due to the fact that
everyone is staying in one place)
specialization (different jobs) leads to trade
government (to oversee trade and property
ownership)
writing (to keep track of trade items)
Done? Explore some of
these websites!
A museum exhibit on Prehistory
Daily life in the Stone Age (including
people's food)
Cro-Magnon cave paintings in France
Early human skulls
All these changes led Mesopotamia to
develop into the first “civilization” with
laws and government.