What is History?

Essential Questions

1. What is history?

2. How does a person’s history impact his future?

Objectives

• Describe life in ancient Africa and Asia.• Describe the evolution of man.• Aanalyze archaeological evidence and

evaluate the impact on human life.• List inventions created by prehistoric man.

Definitions

Evolution

a process of continuous change over time

History

story of man’s past based on archaeological evidence

History

• Historians look at two sources of information:

– Primary Sources are written/created in the moment.

– Secondary Sources are written/created long after an event has taken place.

Telling Time

• B.C. = Before Christ• A.D. = Anno Domini (In the Year of Our Lord)

• c. = circa (Sometime Around)• B.C.E. = Before Common Era• C.E. = Common Era

• 5000 BC » 3000 BC » 1 BC » 1 AD » 1000 AD » 2009 AD

Stages of Man’s Evolution

• Homo habilis – Handy Man

• c. 2.5 - 2 million years BC• appeared in Africa• has bigger brains, more

intelligence• How did a larger brain and

more intelligence benefit?

• Australopithecus – Southern Ape

• c. 4 million years BC• appeared in Africa• walked on two legs instead

of four• What benefits came from

being able to walk on 2 legs instead of 4?

Stages of Man’s Evolution

Homo sapiens neanderthalensis – Neanderthal Man

• c. 120,000 BC• appeared in Africa, Asia and Europe• first humans to bury their dead• died out in c. 33,000 BC as modern

humans appear

Homo erectus – Upright Man

• c. 1.5 million years BC• appeared in Africa• learned to make tools, hunt,

gather food, make shelter, fire and communicate

• spread from Africa to Asia and later to Europe.

Stages of Man’s EvolutionHomo sapiens sapiens – Modern Man

• c. 40,000 BC• appeared in Africa,

Asia, Europe and Australia

• skillful tool makers and hunters

• c. 13,000 BC crossed from Asia into the Americas

Man’s Pre-HistoryOld Stone Age

• c. 2 million years ago - 10,000 BC

• first stone tools are made

Middle Stone Age• c. 10,000 BC• created a greater

variety of stone tools

New Stone Age• c. 8,000 BC• created sickles and

hoes

Man’s Pre-HistoryCopper Age

• c. 5,000 BC• begins in the Middle

East• metal tools are made

Bronze Age• c. 3,000 BC• Copper + Tin =

Bronze• stronger tools

Iron Age• c. 1,000 BC• iron was used for tools• iron was stronger than bronze

Think About...

1. Describe the five evolutionary phases of man.

2. List three inventions created by prehistoric man and discuss how

they impact life.

3. On what continent does archaeological evidence show where man first appeared?