Objectives

Students will be able to…1. Define prehistory.2. Explain the importance of

archeology and anthropology to understanding early human history.

3. Define and describe culture.

Skills Objectives

Students will be able to…1. Identify and locate key features of

the textbook.2. Take effective notes from textbook

readings.

S

S

Procedures• Entering class–Check your folder–Take today’s papers–Sharpen pencils, etc.–Start the Bellringer

• “On time” means in your seat working when the bell rings

Procedures

• Leaving the room–Bathroom/water/nurse: hold up

your agenda• Interrupt class for emergencies

–End of class: clean up supplies, move desks to where they belong, wait for teacher to dismiss you

Why study history?

• The main thing history can teach us is that human actions have consequences and that certain choices, once made, cannot be undone. They foreclose the possibility of making other choices and thus they determine future events.- Gerda Lerner

Why do you need history?

Don’t Be Charlie Brown

Prehistory

• Prehistory – the time in human history before the invention of writing• What sources can we use to

understand the “prehistoric” world?

Objective #1

Unwritten History

1. Oral histories2. Drawings3. Stuff they left behind

Oral Histories

• Storytellers prized in many cultures, and stories are passed down for generations• Problems:–“Whisper down the lane” effect–Dead people don’t tell stories

Drawings

• Mostly, cave paintings–Famous pictures from Lascaux

(France)

Cave Paintings• Art is in the eye of

the beholder– Stories?– Actual events?– Religious beliefs?– Nice pictures?– Textbooks?

Artifacts

• Something made by people

Fossils

• Solidified remains of living things

Using Artifacts• Some assembly required–Like a giant puzzle with no idea

what the picture will be• What if we use things for different

purposes?• If we know what, do we know when?• Some things get lost

Studying the Past• Archeology • Anthropology

Objective #2

Archeology

• The study of the human past by examining artifacts and remains–Excavation–Hoping to find ancient settlements,

burial sites, tools, etc.

Carbon Dating• A scientific test used to

analyze the age of artifacts and fossils

• (based on the half-life decay of Carbon-14… ask a science teacher)

• Pretty accurate for the last 40,000 years or so

Anthropology

• Study of human origins, relationships, and cultures–Try to determine how humans

evolved (physically and culturally)–Archeology is a subfield of

anthropology• What is culture?

Culture

• Culture is a system of beliefs, values, and assumptions about life that guide behavior and are shared by a group of people

• Everyone has culture• What does culture include?

Objective #3

Our Culture

• What will archeologists and anthropologists use to understand our culture in 10,000 years?

HW: Textbook Notes• Tips for effective note taking–Not just reading; note taking

• Your first (real) homework assignment!

• Entering class procedure: turn in homework to your class inbox