prehistory - ms. simpson's class site€¦ · prehistory from the beginning of human evolution...
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PREHISTORY
Dinosaurs died out about
65 million years ago. The
first human like hominids
did not appear until
around 4 million years
ago.
Did humans live with dinosaurs?
NO!!
PREHISTORY
From the beginning of human evolution about 4
million BC to the invention of writing about 3500 BC.
Prehistory is divided into 2 periods : the Paleolithic
and the Neolithic.
The Paleolithic “Old Stone Age”
4 million BC – 8000 BC
Period during which human evolution occurred.
The 4 main groups we will study are:
-Australopithecus
-Homo Erectus
-Neanderthal Man
-Cro-Magnon Man or Homo Sapien
Humans are hunters and gatherers
Humans are continuously on the move, they do
not settle in one area. They are nomadic.
The Paleolithic ends with sedentarization and the
discovery of agriculture.
Why Did Some Apes EVOLVE?
The East Side Story Rift Theory
After a natural catastrophe which
would have left a huge rift in the
eastern part of Africa, the apes
living to the east of the rift become
isolated in a new environment
without jungles.
Lost in this new environment
without the safety of trees and in
desperate search for food, these
apes have to either adapt or die out.
Those who adapt need to learn to
walk upright in order to see above
the tall grasses of the savanna and
watch out for predators.
Are we still evolving…….. “Anthropologists believe wisdom teeth, or the
third set of molars, were the evolutionary answer
to our ancestor’s early diet of coarse, rough food
– like leaves, roots, nuts and meats – which
required more chewing power and resulted in
excessive wear of the teeth. The modern diet
with its softer foods, along with marvels of
modern technologies such as forks, spoons and
knives, has made the need for wisdom teeth
nonexistent. As a result, evolutionary biologists
now classify wisdom teeth as vestigial organs, or
body parts that have become functionless due to
evolution.”
Footprints in wet
volcanic ash dated
3.6 million years old.
Australopithecus Skull
Chimp vs Human brain
Australopithecus
Look at the difference in the shape of the pelvis. Look at the difference in brain size…..
What did our early ancestors look like?
Name : _Australopithecus_________________________
Date of first appearance: _4 million BC______________
Continent(s) inhabited :__Africa___________________
Physical Characteristics: _Resembles an ape; small in
height; small brain; powerful jaw; short legs, long arms;
sloping forehead; prominent brow ridges ____________
Language : _Does not talk. Makes sounds, gesticulates,
facial expressions ________________________________
Eating habits:_scavenger, small prey, gathers fruits. Ate
meat raw ______________________________________
Tools used / inventions :_roughly chipped stones, weapons
made of bones, uses branches as clubs. Live in small
groups (about 15); no clothes; life expectancy : 20 years of
age. ____________________________________
SKULL
DAILY
LIFE
TOOL USED
Homo Habilis
Skillful man – the first species to have the
opposable thumb which allows the
manipulation of small objects.
Homo Habilis
Homo Erectus
CHIMP HUMAN HOMO
ERECTUS
Name : _Homo Erectus (upright man)_________________
Date of first appearance: _1.5 million BC_____________
Continent(s) inhabited :__Africa, Europe, Asia________
Physical Characteristics: _vertical posture; could manipulate
small objects; brain twice as large as Australopithecus; arms
become shorter, legs are longer; remains ape-like with
powerful jaws _________________
Language : _Beginning of language __________________
Eating habits:_hunter and gatherer; eats meat cooked ____
Tools used / inventions :_uses fire; makes stone axes that are
sharp; invents the spear; begins hunting large prey in groups
– uses natural traps (cliffs, marsh) to capture large animals;
live in groups of 20 to 30 people; life expectancy : 20 years
of age ____________________________________
SKULL
DAILY
LIFE
TOOLS USED
Name : __________________________________________
Date of first appearance: ____________________________
Continent(s) inhabited :______________________________
Physical Characteristics: _vertical posture; could manipulate
small objects; brain twice as large as Australopithecus; arms
become shorter, legs are longer; remains ape-like with
powerful jaws ____________________________________
Language : _______________________________________
Eating habits:_____________________________________
Tools used / inventions :_uses fire; makes stone axes that are
sharp; invents the spear; begins hunting large prey in groups
– uses natural traps (cliffs, marsh) to capture large animals;
live in groups of 20 to 30 people; life expectancy : 20 years
of age
SKULL
DAILY
LIFE
TOOLS USED
Found in 2001 in
Georgia, small
country north of
Turkey.
Neanderthal
4034 cal/jour
Neanderthal
We used to believe that humans evolved
from Neanderthals….In reality, we lived at the
same time as this species and for still
unknown reasons, homo sapiens survived
and Neanderthals disappeared….
WHY?
- A disease wipes Neanderthal out and humans
are able to survive.
- Neanderthal is unable to adapt to changes in
climate and environment? They needed more
calories per day than Homo Sapiens. If food
becomes scarce, Neanderthal would suffer
more than Sapien.
- Neanderthal is unable to reproduce in
sufficient numbers and eventually disappears.
Most probably a combination of various factors .
Neanderthal life was very hard
and very dangerous. They
were tough survivors. Many
bones of Neanderthals show
signs of this tough life –
crushing wounds to the legs,
shattered arms, stab wounds,
blows to the head, missing
limbs, damaged eye sockets,
arthritis. What is most
interesting about these
traumatic injuries is that they
show signs of healing. This
means the crippled members
of the group were fed,
protected, and helped to move
by others – the beginnings of
empathy. Neanderthal also
buried their dead and placed
flowers with them.
Name : _Neanderthal Man (valley in Germany)________
Date of first appearance: _ 300 000 years ago___________
Continent(s) inhabited :__Africa, Europe, Asia_________
Physical Characteristics: _Compared to humans, short
limbs and stocky bodies (to adapt to cold climates); very
muscular, very powerful; larger brain than humans;
prominent brow ridges; receding forehead and chin_____
Language : _language is more elaborate_______________
Eating habits:_hunting, fishing, gathering, creates traps to
capture prey ; thrust rather than throw their spears; possible
cannibalism; _____________________________
Tools used / inventions :_Sharper and more efficient tools;
spears with sharp stone attached to the end; have religious
beliefs – they are the first to bury their dead; take care of
each other when injured; most die before 40, 50% before
20 yrs of age____________________________________
SKULL
TOOLS
DAILY
LIFE
Name : _Neanderthal Man (valley in Germany)________
Date of first appearance: _100 000 BC______________
Continent(s) inhabited :__Africa, Europe, Asia_________
Physical Characteristics: _Compared to humans, short
limbs and stocky bodies (to adapt to cold climates); very
muscular, very powerful; larger brain than humans;
prominent brow ridges; receding forehead and chin_____
Language : _language is more elaborate_______________
Eating habits:_hunting, fishing, gathering, creates traps to
capture prey ; thrust rather than throw their spears; possible
cannibalism; _____________________________
Tools used / inventions :_Sharper and more efficient tools;
spears with sharp stone attached to the end; have religious
beliefs – they are the first to bury their dead; take care of
each other when injured; most die before 40, 50% before 20
yrs of age____________________________________
SKULL
TOOLS
DAILY
LIFE
Cro-Magnon
Modern Humans – also known as Homo sapiens
Cro-magnon is physically like modern humans.
Cro-Magnon invents the
needle which allows him to
make clothing that keep him
warm.
This allows Cro-
Magnon to travel
everywhere in the world
and to adapt to various
climates.
The First Artist
What makes humans and our ancestors
different from animals?
Obviously, many things….
But why do we know more
today than humans did 100,
500 or 1000 years ago?
If you teach a lion how to jump
through a hoop of fire, will he show
his offspring (babies) how to do the
same?
Humans teach each other what they learn! When
Erectus learnt to control fire, all species that
followed him also knew how to make fire
because knowledge was passed on from one
generation to the next. Cro-Magnon benefits
therefore from all the accumulated knowledge of
the previous species as well as from his ability to
continue to learn and adapt.
Name : _Cro-Magnon (cave in France)________________
Date of first appearance: _195 000 years ago____________
Continent(s) inhabited :__Africa, Europe, Asia, Americas,
Oceania_________________________________________
Physical Characteristics: ______Resembles modern man;
adapts to all climates; intelligence is well developed;
benefits from experience and knowledge of previous
species__________________________________________
Language : _complex language______________________
Eating habits:_hunting, fishing, gathering_____________
Tools used / inventions :_make needles from bones to sew
clothing; uses a wide variety of tools; the first artist –
created cave paintings, sculptures, jewelry; the band
becomes much larger______________________________
SKULL
TOOL
DAILY LIFE
THE NEOLITHIC “The New Stone Age”
8000 BC to 3500 BC
-Period which begins with sedentarization and the discovery of agriculture
to the invention of writing.
Important Changes
- Warming of the climate
- Discovery of agriculture and the domestication of
animals
- Humans are no longer always on the move, they
become sedentary.
axe
The Agricultural Revolution -Humans develop agriculture in the Fertile Crescent, a region where
the soil is very fertile. The first civilization emerged in Mesopotamia.
Mesopotamia
The Fertile Crescent
Mediterranean
Sea
Black Sea
Caspian
Sea
Red
Sea
Persian
Gulf
Tigris
Euphrates
Nile
AGRICULTURE &
DOMESTICATION OF
ANIMALS
Life expectancy
increases
Population
increases
Development of
permanent villages and
eventually small cities
Division of labour –
specialized trades
(potter, blacksmith,
basket weaving…)
The beginnings of commerce
BARTER
The trading of goods
SEDENTARIZATION
Neolithic share surplus
hunt barter skilled trades
Fertile Crescent nomadic power
domestication villages Paleolithic
gather family agriculture
sense of ownership tribe large territories
food reserves sedentary conflicts
Using all the words below, explain how humans were
initially nomadic and became sedentary. Describe the
main characteristics of the two lifestyles.
During the Paleolithic, humans are nomadic and travel over
large territories. They are hunters and gatherers and they
share their food amongst the members of their tribe. During
the Neolithic, humans become sedentary in the Fertile
Crescent because there is an abundance of food in this area.
They live in small villages and each family has their own
house. They must make food reserves in order to be
prepared for the unexpected. They begin to have a sense of
ownership and want to protect their belongings. This brought
about conflicts amongst the villagers because the more
possessions you own, the more power you have. They then
discover agriculture and begin domesticating animals. The
production of a surplus of food allows for the beginning of
skilled trades, such as the potter and the blacksmith. It is
also the beginning of barter, the trading of goods.
Permanent villages Agriculture and
domestication of animals
Use of copper
5 Early Centers of Civilization
During the Paleolithic, humans lived off hunting and
gathering and were nomads. Around 8000 BC, they
became food producers developing agriculture and
livestock breeding. They then built permanent homes
grouped in villages and claimed a territory, which
they could then exploit. They adopted a sedentary
lifestyle. The surplus production led to the
emergence of new skilled trades, which led to a new
division of labour; these surpluses promoted trade,
sometimes over long distances.
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