Pre-History

Common Terms

B.C.- “Before Christ” The number in a B.C. date tells how many years before the birth of Jesus an event occurred. NOTE that B.C. numbers become smaller as dates fall closer to the birth of Jesus. (Example: Egypt’s King Tutankhamon lived from1355 B.C. until 1339 B.C.)

Common Terms

A.D.- “Anno Domini” meaning “in the year of the lord.” The number in an A.D. date tells how many years after the birth of Jesus the event occurred. Unlike B.C., A.D. appears before the number of the year. (Example: Charlemagne crowned first Holy Roman Emperor in Rome in A.D. 800.) Nowadays if nothing is stated then it is implied that it is A.D.C.E- “common era or Christian era” will also be seen.

Common Terms

Decade- 10 Years (Example: The 1920’s)

Century-100 Years. Note that the 500’s were the 6th century, the 1900’s is the twentieth century, and so on.

 Millennium- 1000 years. (Example: On January 1st, 2001 we celebrated a new millennium.)

Common Terms

Age/Era- Broad period of time with a shared pattern of life. Ages and eras usually do not have definite starting or ending points. (Example: During the Stone Age, which began some 2.5 million years ago and ended around 3500 B.C., people made many of their tools from stone.

THEBEGININGS

OFCIVILIZATIONS

PREHISTORIC TIMES

Prehistoric Times (Cont)

Until 1974 no human or humanlike remains had ever been found. 

Mary Leakey led a scientific expedition in Tanzania or Eastern AfricaLeakey’s team found footprints of an extinct animal that laid there for 3.5 million years1977, Leakey’s team found more prints similar to that of a modern human being. These First found human being like creatures are known as HOMINIDS. These footprints proved that humans existed over 3.5 million years ago.First proof that humans were different than animals

Prehistoric Times (Cont)

As human beings, we have the unique ability to reflect on our history and plan for our future.

 

This is what we consider PREHISTORY: The long period of time before people developed writing.

Prehistoric Times (Cont)

Anthropologists: study the physical features, development, and behavior of hominids.

 

Archaeologists: study the material remains of prehistoric and historic people and the way that prehistoric people are living.

 

Artifacts: The remains that are found by archeologists and anthropologists.

 

Fossils: are human remains, impressions, or traces of plants or animals that have been preserved in the earth’s crust.

Prehistoric Times (Cont)

Anthropologists and Archeologists use artifacts and fossils to reconstruct a picture of the way of life or Culture.

Today Anthropologists and Archeologists use carbon dating, which allows them to date the rate of decay of radioactive carbon atoms to find the age of something.

Prehistoric Times (Cont)

AUSTRALOPITHECINES

  (AH STRA LO PITH EH SCENES)

In the late 1970’s American Anthropologist Donald Johansson was searching Ethiopia for fossils. He stumbled across a small bone from a hominid arm.

        Altogether Johansson and the rest of the crew found about 40% of a female skeleton.

        Named the skeleton “Lucy” from the Beatles song, ‘Lucy in the sky with Diamonds”.

        “Lucy” was the largest full skeleton to date.

Prehistoric Times (Cont)

   The Discovery of Lucy proved that early humans they walked upright.

  Archeologists believed that this form of humans used tools however they can’t prove that.

  They do know that their brain size was 1/3 of today’s human and that they ranged in height from 3 to 5 feet.

HOMO HABILIS

Eventually the Australopithecines disappeared, but before they did, a new creature appeared known as HOMO HABILIS or “skillful man” around 2.5 and 2.0 million years ago.

Found in northern Tanzania, they had brains that were 50% larger than Australopithecines.

HOMO HABILIS

The Homo Habilis’s Larger brains gave them an advantage over animals that competed for survival.

It was believed that with their increased power in the brain, they made tools that helped them cut meat and bone, and the used rocks for weapons.

HOMO ERECTUS

About 1.6 million years ago, before Homo Habilis left the scene, a species known as HOMO ERECTUS or “Upright Man” appeared in eastern Africa.Fossilized remains show that it had a bigger body and brain that Homo Habilis and resembled today’s human.Males stood at least 6 feet tall.

HOMO ERECTUS

Brains measured ¾ of the size of today’s human brain.

Became the first to leave the continent of Africa.

Fire played the most important aspect in life.

Used for hunting, light, to heat food and warmth.

Used tools for hunting as well

HOMO ERECTUS

The result of this ability to use stone for weapons and tools moves us into the a completely new era in history.

The invention of tools (technology) allowed settlements and civilizations to develop.

Homo Sapiens

Many Scientists believe that Homo erectus eventually developed into homo sapiens—the species name for modern humans.

Homo Sapiens= “wise men”

Early Civilizations

To be a civilization, a culture must have certain key traits.

1. Cities 2. Specialized Workers

3. Advanced Tools and Technology4. Complex Institutions (Orgs or Gov)

The Growth of Cities

By 3000 B.C. the Sumerians had built at least a dozen-fair sized cities.

They were centers of trade, religion, and government.

Sumer created irrigation ditches that allowed to produce a surplus of crops.

More to come……about the early civilizations!!

How do we know??

In your journals respond to the following question.How do we know all of this???

Remember it is pre-history!!!