Pangea

Culture: way of life of a society that is handed down from one generation to the next by learning and experience

Cultural diffusion: the spread of cultural items—such as ideas, styles, religions, technologies, languages etc.—between individuals, whether within a single culture or from one culture to another.

Chapter 1: Foundations of Civilization (Prehistory-300 B.C.)

Section 1: Understanding Our Past Prehistory-the period of time thousands and

thousands of years before writing was invented Historians study and write about the past -artifacts -written evidence -photographs and films Historians evaluate all this evidence to judge

reliability A major goal of historians is to determine

causes of certain events

Historians are not always accurate: -personal experiences -cultural background -political opinions These biases cause debate among historians Investigating Prehistory The study of Prehistory is known as

Anthropology Anthropologists focus on physical and cultural

traits of past peoples Archaeology is a branch of Anthropology that

studies material remains

Archaeologists frequently revise theories as new evidence is discovered

Archaeologists employ other scientists such as geologists, botanists, zoologists and biologists

Modern archeologists are aided by technology such as computers and aerial photographs

Discoveries in Africa and Beyond Prehistoric people are mysterious for several

reasons: -no cities -no countries -no organized governments -no complex inventions

Mary and Louis Leakey discovered artifacts thought to be as old as 2.1 million years

These artifacts showed that primitive people developed technology

In 1959 Mary discovered a Hominid skull By 1974 a full Hominid skeleton had been

discovered by Donald Johanson Scientists have concluded that various groups

of Hominids have lived over millions of years They also believe that they all originated in

Africa Homo sapiens first appeared between 250,000

and 100,000 years ago

Hominid and Homo Erectus

Homo Sapiens and Neanderthal

Geico Cavemen and Human Beings

Section 1 vocab pg 4, #3-5 on pg 10

Section 2: Turning Point The Neolithic Revolution Prehistory is divided into 2 phases: Old Stone Age (Paleolithic) 2 million b.c.-10,000 b.c. New Stone Age (Neolithic) 10,000b.c.-end of

prehistory The Neolithic Age is defined by changes in skills and

technologies Skills and Beliefs of the Old Stone Age Early humans were nomadic people They live in small groups and hunted and gathered for

survival They depended on the environment for food and

shelter, and adapted to their surroundings They made advancements in tools, clothing and spoken

language

Old Stone Age people began to develop spiritual beliefs

They buried their dead with supplies needed in the after life

They believed in spirits and forces in all sorts of objects-animism

The New Stone Age Begins With Farming Beginnings of New Stone Age date back to

about 10,000 B.C. Nomadic people discovered farming which

drastically altered their way of life For the first time people could stay in one place

instead of searching for food

Early farmers were the first to domesticate plants and animals

The Neolithic Revolution Brings Dramatic Change

This was the greatest change until the Industrial Revolution of the 1700’s

Established villages led to advances in culture and technology

Jericho is one of the first established villages and still exists today

Men dominated most aspect of village life

The First Village People

Earliest form of governments were established in these first villages

Village people also began to acquire possessions which led difference in wealth or class

Villagers also created new technologies such as: -calendar -animals -tools -storage containers Vocab pg 11 #3-5 pg 15

Section 3: Beginnings of Civilization Civilizations are complex, highly organized

social orders Civilizations emerged as villages became cities Cities began along fertile river valleys that

produced surpluses of food Rivers provided fertile land and a constant

water supply River valley required much cooperation to

build dikes, canals and irrigation ditches To organize labor, more complex systems of

government were formed

The first cities were well organized and surrounded by thick walls

Civilizations have 8 major features: -cities -organized governments -complex religions (poly and mono-theistic) -job specialization -social classes -arts and architecture -public works -writing As rulers gained more power, city-states began

to emerge Rulers forced peasants to grow crops, many of

which benefited the government

As powerful rulers conquered more cities, empires emerged

As civilizations grow they experience many changes

Cultural diffusion was an important source of change

People of different cities began to share and adapt customs

Vocab pg 17, #3-5 pg 23