Lecture #1

Paleolithic 12,000-30,000 years agoNeolithic 12,000-5,000 years ago

Paleolithic Age: 12,000 – 30,000 Years Ago (Old Stone Age)

Civilization as we know it, is 5,000 years old.Prior to the beginnings of civilization, primitive humans inhabited East Africa for 3 million years.Paleolithic humans lived as hunters and gatherers, roaming from place to place and never settling down in villages. They did not know how to farm the land.Question: How might their lives have been different had they had known how to farm?Farming began approximately 10,000 years ago.

Paleolithic Humans (continued)

The successful hunters and gatherers did the following:Formed into groups of approximately 30, called bands.Learned to organize, cooperate, trust, share. Bands that did not work cooperatively together starved and died.Cooperation was new! Imagine a society that did not agree on certain rules or minimum standards, such as Respect, Sharing, rules against violence. In your notes, think of one more and write it down.Developed spoken language, make and use tools of bone, wood, and stone.

Paleolithic Humans (continued)

Developed spoken languageWithout it, how would they agree on what time the hunting party would leave in search of food?

Make and used tools of bone, wood, and stone.Early production required passing of information from one generation of people to the next generation. Before they had written words, they had spoken language. When you first learned to communicate, you spoke and after several years, you learned to read and write.

Paleolithic Humans (continued)

Trap, kill and skin animals, make clothing, create fishing nets.

Control fire and cook meat and provide warmth

Began to bury the dead, sometimes with offerings, suggesting a belief in life after death.

Question: What are some reasons that the first humans are believed to come from East Africa?

Paleolithic LanguageQuestion: What do you think were the benefits of

language development for members of the Band?Answer: Sharing of knowledge, experiences and

feelings! An avenue to allow Emotional Evolution! Ideas could now be shared, left for a while and brought up again. Complex ideas could be recorded, further developed and added to by others.

Paleolithic (continued)

Give an example of how language might have been used to improve the quality of life.

Example: Building plan, hunting strategies, self defense plans, plans to improve the organizational strurcuture of the Band.

Paleolithic Religious BeliefsMythic Religious Beliefs were invented to explain the

unknown and the frightening.Nature, birth, sickness and death.

Question: Why do modern day Public Health Departments offer pre-natal programs, develop educational curriculum to be used in public schools and offer free health clinics to those who can not afford it?

Answer: To educate the citizens so we are not afraid.

What do you think the people of this time would have considered to be Living Powers or Spirits?

Sun, rain, wind, thunder and lightening

Offerings were made to the Spirits and Higher Powers. What is the reason for offering?

Interpreters who hoped to win favour from the Spirits. These interpreters of the Spirits came to be known as Shamans, Medicine Men and Witch Doctors.

Paleolithic Art and Culture

12,000 – 30,000 Years AgoCaves may have been viewed as sanctuaries, where

skillfully painted images have been found on the walls. What do you think, if any, might be the relationship

between art and religion?A picture of a spear in an animal may be a request to the

Higher Powers to arrange for a successful hunt; a herd of animals may have been a request for many animals; images of the clan, victorious in battle may have been a request for assistance in battle.

Approximately 12,000 Years Ago – Neolithic

(new stone age)Developed in the area between the Tigris and the

Euphrates Rivers.We will look at maps, soon.Suggestion: Always have a map available to look at

and reflect upon when doing your reading.When developing your reflective commentaries,

consider including a map or chart and diagrams to illustrate your subject in ways that make it easier for people to understand.

Mesopotamia

In Greek, Mesopotamia means

“land between the rivers”

The term came to be applied to the land between the two great rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, which flows from eastern Turkey, through present-day Iraq to the Gulf.

The Euphrates also takes in a large part of northern Syria.

Suggestion: When we are talking about geographic areas, think about current events in those places today. It may help to improve your memory and recall of the events.

What has been happening in Syria during the last year?

Mesopotamia was the name of an area, not a country.The name has come to be applied to the many rich cultures that flourished in ancient Iraq.

These included Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian and many other cultures, whose influence extended into neighbouring countries, certainly from around 5,000 BC.

Continents of our Planet Earth

This map may be on a test or exam

Study this map !

After the fall of the Assyrian Empire in 612 BCE, Mesopotamia was ruled by a succession of foreign dynasties. Eventually, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War One, the modern state of Iraq was formed, a state that became independent in 1932.

The Rise of CivilizationDefinition• an advanced state of human society, in which a high

level of culture, science, industry, and government has been reached.

• the act or process of civilizing or being civilized: cultural refinement refinement of thought cultural appreciation for such things as art, literature,

philosophy, etc.

Changing Social PatternsSurpluses of food meant freedom from constant

hunting and gathering.

Time could now be devoted to refining skills.

Different people have different interests, leading to many new contributions, such as:Basket weaving; tool makers (tool and die); cooks;

educators; leadership in trade and commerce and self defense from nomadic horsemen.

Class Structure

Priests held a place of great power, interpreting the actions and desires of the many gods.

Entrepreneurs were rewarded with material gain, just like today!

Think of a society where everybody foraged for their food versus a society where those who effectively organize their thinking and time management skills are awarded more privileges. Just like today!

Example 1: If I went to work for my parents because they had a successful business, but I did not develop my thinking and time management skills, once they leave the business, I will be likely to make mistakes and go bankrupt, losing everything.

Class structure is not permanent.

Example 2: If my father is a successful politician, the favouritism I enjoy will pass when he is no longer in office.

The Lesson: We depend on each other to be successful, but our own actions and those of our civilization will also determine our success.

Agriculture The Ox and the yoke made clearing of land and

large scale farming possible. Fewer people were hungry. More people were healthy and strong. More people had nutritious food and the brain

was not starved. More creative thinking occurred, leading to more

industry and production to share.

Transportation and Language and Food(Summarized)

The round wheel and the sail made movement of goods between villages a profitable business.

Common language made it possible to understand common and different needs.

Villages could agree on trade and defense partnerships.

Healthy citizens made for better minds, more effective learning, a strong force to defend the village, provide labour for industry.

In-Class Assignment

Read page 22. Mythical Thinking1.O Salt2.Scorching FireExplain why the Greeks and the Hebrews would have

started with these ideas and explain, in your notebook, why you believe they rejected or transformed the older Near Eastern traditions to create new ideas for man to explore

Class Discussion…