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In the PowerPoint below - View and take notes on slides 1 - 62 to develop the idea that the Neolithic Revolution was in fact a major turning point in history. Be prepared to discuss and describe life before people began to domesticate plants and animals versus life after people learned to grow/raise plants and animals.
paleovsneo1-150922192938-lva1-app6891.pdf
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Essential Questions
1. Describe life for early humans during the Paleolithic Age.
2. What important advances did Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon peoples make?
3. What advances were early people able to make as a result of the Neolithic agricultural revolution?
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Vocabulary
Pre-Historic - Before written records, click here to learn more (requires logging into our online text)
culture: The beliefs, knowledge, and patterns of living that a group of people develops
hunter-gatherers: People who lived by hunting animals and gathering plants for food
nomads: People who wander from place to place in search of food
non-sedentary society - group of people that never settle in one spot, they are always on the move
Archaeologist - Social scientist who dig up artifacts to learn more about the past
artifacts: Objects made and used by early humans
Great Rift Valley - Area in Africa where scientists believe man first appeared.
limited evidence: Evidence, such as artifacts, about which little is known, requiring scientists to make educated guesses
Excavation - Excavation is the act or process of digging, especially when something specific is being removed from the ground. Archaeologists use excavation to find artifacts .
Associate with early humans
Lucy: Name given to a female hominid skeleton that may have lived 3 million years ago
Neanderthals: Early humans who lived during the Old Stone Age about 35,000 to 130,000 years ago
Cro-Magnons: Early humans who lived in Europe about 35,000 years ago
hominids: Humans and earlier humanlike creatures
Identify as Anthropologists
Mary Leakey - Anthropologist who found parts of a skeleton dating back 3.7 million years
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What technology do you see here? Why is technology important? What are man's basic needs?
The Emergence of Civilization
Section 1: Prehistoric Peoples
In this section you will learn how scientists study prehistory. Their discoveries have taught us
about early humans. You will learn about the achievements of the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon
peoples. You will also learn about the agricultural revolution and the important changes it
brought about.
Theory - "The Human Family Tree"
How do we study history?
Scientists learn about prehistory by studying evidence. Anthropologists (Video Link) study the skeletons of
hominids, which include humans and earlier human like creatures. Archaeologists dig up
artifacts—objects that early humans made and used such as tools, clothing, and works of art.
Louis and Mary Leakey were prominent husband and wife anthropologists
who became well known after their discovery of a hominid skull in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.
Archaeologists study early humans’ culture—the beliefs, knowledge, and patterns of living that a
group of people develops. Artifacts, however, provide only limited evidence, requiring scientists to
make educated guesses about early humans.
What artifact do you see here?
In 1974 anthropologist Donald Johanson found a female hominid skeleton in Ethiopia that he
named Lucy. Lucy lived about 3 million years ago. In the late 1970s anthropologist Mary Leakey
found parts of another skeleton in Tanzania. It dated back about 3.7 million years. These
early hominids walked upright.
What characterizes the earliest known ages?
About 2.5 million years ago people began using tools made from chipped stones. This period,
called the Stone Age, began with the Old Stone Age, or Paleolithic (pay·lee·uh·LI·thik) Age. It
lasted for more than 2 million years—until 12,000 years ago.
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"Lucy" is one of the most complete skeletons found to date from the early hominids that flourished between 4 and 2 million years ago. The skeleton consists of bones from a single individual, presumably female, who stood well under 4 feet tall.
Discovered by scientists in 1974, the 3.18-million-year-old Lucy was named after the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," which the researchers listened to as they celebrated their remarkable find.
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From studying bones, anthropologists believe that early humans had strong jaws and low foreheads.
At first they ate plants. Later, they hunted small and then large animals. Over generations, they
migrated from Africa to Asia. Between 100,000 and 400,000 years ago, a new species
developed, called Homo sapiens.
Great Rift Valley - Area in Africa where scientists believe man first appeared.
Over the last 1.7 million years, Earth has had periods of very cold weather called the Ice Age. It
ended about 10,000 years ago. During the Ice Age, sea levels dropped. Land ridges were uncovered,
allowing humans and animals to migrate.
In caves in Europe and Asia, anthropologists have found remains of early humans
called Neanderthals. They lived about 35,000 to 130,000 years ago. Neanderthals made clothing
from animal skins, used fire, made better tools, and buried their dead. About 35,000 years ago, the
Cro-Magnons appeared in Europe. They made better tools and weapons. They also made art by
painting the animals they hunted on the walls of caves. About 20,000 years ago, humans migrated
into Asia and Australia. The Cro-Magnons disappeared about 10,000 years ago.
The Middle Stone Age, or Mesolithic Age, lasted until about 10,000 to 5,500 years ago. People
began to use the bow and arrow, spears, and harpoons. They also tamed dogs and made canoes.
Find this picture in the text of chapter 1, section 2 in the online text. View the interactive slideshow.
What conclusions can you tell us about the people who created the cave art?
Have you ever visited the American Museum of Natural History in NYC?
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