PrehistoryThe time before

the written word.

How do we find our past?

How do we find our past?

Methods of Dating

Stratigraphy,Tree Rings,Road Cuts

Simple Methods of

Dating

Radio-Carbon Datingdetermines an object’s age by measuring the amount of C-14

AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry)

• Another name for Radio-Carbon Dating

• Used for samples that are far tinier than that needed for standard radiocarbon dating

• In AMS dating, researchers use an accelerator-based mass spectrometer to count all the C14 atoms, rather than just those atoms which are decaying.

Blood MoleculesMay survive Millions of years and yield DNA information

Thermo luminescence dating determines an object’s age by measuring the light given off by electrons trapped in the surrounding soil

Date:_________

• The time before the written word.

1. Stratigraphy2. Tree Cuts3. Road Cuts

PrehistoryHow do we find our

past?

Simple Methods of Dating:

Topic: Chapter 1 “The First Humans”

SUMMARY

Early Hominids

Hominids: Having Human Characteristics

The study of past societies through an analysis of the items people left behind them

Archaeology

Artifacts

tools, pottery, paintings, weapons, buildings & household items left behind by early people

A remnant or impression of an organism from a past geologic age that has been preserved in the earth’s crust

Most of the Oldest Hominid Remains Found in…

Olduvai GorgeEast Africa

Australopithicusfootprints

Laetoli site (left), Mary Leakey discovered Homo fossils that were more than 3.75 million-years-old. 

Leakey Legacy

“Theories on prehistory and early man constantly change as new evidence comes to light.”

-Richard Leakey

Newsweek July 22, 2002

Australopithecus First uprighthominid

“southern apes”

AustralopithecusDiscovered by Donald Johanson 3-4 million years old

Lucy: Johansson's girlfriend suggested the name after the Beatles song that played on the radio most of the day during the discovery.

What Lucy Looked Like…

Homo erectus“upright human being”, a species that emerged around 1.5

million years ago; 2nd stage of early human

developmentLearned to use fire to keep warm in colder areas

Homo sapiens “wise human being”a species that emerged around 250,000 years ago;

3rd stage in human development

Homo sapiens sapiens

“wise, wise human being”

a species that appeared in Africa between 150,000 & 200,000 years ago

1st anatomically modern humans

WE BELONG TO THIS GROUP TODAY.

from the Greek for “Old Stone” the early period of human history, from approximately 2.5 million to 10,000 B.C., humans used simple stone tools

Paleolithic Age

Technology

Drawbacks to Hunting & Gathering

1. Food sources dry up2. No storage3. Isolation4. Short lifespan

Major advances

•Mastery of fire•Language

Pottery

Improvedtools (metalworking)

New Technology

Marked a new level of human control over their environment

Use of Metals

Rise of Villages

6 characteristics of Civilizations

• 1. Cities• 2. Government• 3. Religion• 4. Social structure• 5. Art• 6. Writing

Neolithic Age•Development of Cities

•Mastered the art of farming

•More complex societies

•Created armies & built walled cities

High Point of Neolithic Age

•Catal Huyuk, located in modern-day Turkey, high point from 6700 to 5700 B.C.

•Mud brick houses

Earliest Writing

Cuneiforms

Food surpluses made it possible for people to do things other than farming

• Artisans – a skilled craftsperson who makes products such as weapons & jewelry

•scribes

End of the Neolithic Age

•Copper, then Bronze tools led to the Bronze Age

•Between 4000 & 3000 B.C.

•The use of metals marked a new level of human control over the environment & its resources

End of the Neolithic Age