Bellwork

• Please try to define any of the following terms to the best of your ability:– Stone Age–Neolithic Revolution– Civilization

Be prepared to discuss these at the beginning of class.

World History

Section 2, Unit 2Early Civilizations

Objectives

• Identify the importance of early changes in pre-historic human history.

• Identify and list the characteristics of civilizations.

Origins of Humanity

• Early humans (i.e. those who predate homo sapiens/modern humans) find their origins in Africa and appeared sometime around 4 million B.C.

• Between 4 million BC to around 30,000 B.C., we see humanity begin to create tools, master fire, and develop language. Other cultural events begin to occur as well.– Burying the dead and making art

Pre-Historic Age

• Paleolithic Age- “Stone Age”– During this time in human history, we

see early tool use, the developments of language, and mastery over fire.

– This period occurred between 2.5 million B.C. t0 8000 B.C.

–Humans during this time would have been hunter-gatherers- they would have hunted or gathered food.

Pre-Historic Age (cont.)

• During the Paleolithic age, humans would have began creating new technologies.

• These groups were also nomadic.– Groups of people who moved from one

area to another, generally in search of food.

– Groups very rarely settled in one place for long. This nomadic lifestyle for so long would have resulted in massive migrations across continents.

Pre-Historic Age (cont.)• How did humanity begin

to change?– Over the course of

thousands of years, later humans during this time began to move away from simply hunting or trying to just survive. These humans would have begun to make more advanced technology and began to create art.

– Our ancestors were evolving and becoming more intelligent and self-aware.

Neolithic Age

• Neolithic Age- “New Stone Age”– Occurred between 8000 B.C. and ended

around 3000 B.C. – Polished stone tools, make pottery, grow

crops, and raise animals.– The people during this time would have

moved away from being hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural societies.

Neolithic Revolution

• Otherwise known as the “agricultural revolution”, humanity began to grow food, instead of hunting for it.

• It was one of the largest breakthroughs in human history.

How did the revolution occur?

• Although historians and scientists do not exactly what caused it, they do believe there were several factors that caused the change:– Rising climate would have lead to better

growing seasons.–More food lead to higher populations.– Larger populations would have made farming

more effective and attractive to early humans, which would have forced them to continue the practice.

Change overtime

Domestication

• With the sudden growth in agriculture, early humans would have begun domesticating (taming) animals. Historians believe they did this by forcing animals into human-made enclosures. Over generations, the animals would have become accustomed to humans.

• Humans would have domesticated animals for several reasons:– Simple food source– Protection

Effects of the Neolithic Revolution

• Question: –What effect would agriculture have on

ancient humans?

Settlements would lead into the creation of civilizations.

Creation of Civilizations

• Agriculture would have led early humans to begin settling in one area for a source of food, rather than moving from one area to another to hunt and gather.

• These settlements were the early forms of civilizations or communities.

Civilizations grow• As more stable communities began to

appear, people began to create new tools- sickle, hoes, and plows- to make farming easier.

• As food became more available, populations began to swell. Villages and cities began to appear.

What is a Civilization?

• Civilizations are complex cultures that are made up of 5 characteristics:– Advanced cities– Specialized workers– Complex institutions– Record keeping– Advanced technology

Advanced Cities

• When compared to a village, a city is a complex that is not necessarily defined by population, but rather by how much trade occurs within its area.

• They are considered cultural centers and are often where entire cultures are brought together.

Specialized Workers

• Civilizations are also defined by having workers who do specialized work- work that requires a special skill.

• These jobs include artisians (people who make goods by hand), government officials, priests, and more.

Complex Institutions

• Early institutions that rule people define civilizations. Institutions are defined as organizations in a community.

• These include: government, laws, religion, economy, and so forth.

Record Keeping• As society became more complex, civilizations began to require that there be records of what occurs.

• These included purchases done by merchants, government affairs, religious texts, and so forth.

• These were necessary to help keep track of the society in which these people lived. Early forms of writing also kept records of disasters, wars, life, etc.

Advanced Technology

• As a civilization grew larger, it became more important to create newer and better technologies.

• These included irrigation systems (systems that spread water through farming areas), technology to produce goods (pottery wheel), and metals such as copper.

Bronze Age

• Due to the growth of technology, around 3000 B.C., humanity began to harvest and use bronze instead of stone and copper.

• Early humans created the smelting process to fashion tools and weapons out of bronze.

• The Bronze Age identifies the early time period in which humanity began to not only use bronze, but to also identify the period in which humanity began to show characteristics that define civilizations.

Questions?

• If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Before we move on to the review, the class is going to watch this video has a final summary of the lesson.

Review• What are the 5 characteristics of a Civilization? Please describe each characteristic using information from your notes.

• What occurred during the Neolithic Revolution?

• How did the Neolithic Revolution effect early humans?

• Why did humans begin to use tools? What was a beneficial effect of tool usage?

• Where did early humans appear and what caused them to migrate so far?

In the next lesson

• In the next lesson, we will be discussing Mesopotamia, one of the earliest recorded civilizations in human history.

• We will also be beginning the section on the Classical Era of Human History