Understanding Our Past How Do We Know Prehistory- The long
period of time before people invented systems of writing. 5,000
years ago some people in different parts of the world began to keep
written records The beginning of recorded history
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Evidence From the Past Archaeologists- Scientists who find and
analyze the physical remains left by early people Bone Fragments
Artifacts- tools and weapons, pottery, clothing or jewelry
Archaeology- Is a branch of Anthropology- The study of humans and
the societies they created Draw conclusions about beliefs, values,
& activities of our ancestors.
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Archeologists at work Devised many useful techniques Digging
Further down they dig, the older the remains Discovered how early
people developed technology- skills and tools people use to meet
their basic needs Made detailed maps, locating every artifact they
find
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Technology and the Past Modern technology helps interpret
findings Computers used to sort data Aerial photography can reveal
patterns of how people used the land Radioactivity can determine
the age of objects
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Historians Reconstruct The Past Historians- study how people
lived in the past, but rely more on written evidence, ie, letters
& tax records Historical detection Historians look for evidence
to determine how reliable information is. They often write about
specific people from the past
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Geography and History Geography is the study of people, their
environments and the resources available to them Five themes of
Geography Location Place Human-Environment Interaction Movement
Region
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Location- Tells where a place is on the surface of the earth
Latitude- Measures distance North and South of the Equator
Longitude - Measures distance East and West of the Prime Medidian
(imaginary line that runs North and South of Greenwich, England).
i.e. City of Seoul, South Korea is at 37N latitude & 127 E
longitude..These numbers are the exact location
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Relative Location- Where one place is located in relation to
another. i.e. Ancient Athens, was located on the Eastern
Mediterranean Sea, near Egypt. Place- Physical features and human
characteristics Physical Features- Land forms, body of water,
climate, soil quality, resources, plant and animal life
Characteristics- Where most people live, economic activities,
religious beliefs and languages
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Human Enviornment Interaction-People are shaped by the place
where they live i.e. Early farmers used water from rivers to
irrigate their crops Movement- of people goods and ideas. Key link
between geography and history Nomads followed herds of deer, moved
because of climate changes, traders carried goods
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Region- geographers divide the world into many types of
regions. Some regions are based on physical features Regions can
also be defined by political, economic, or cultural features
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Dawn of History Hunters and Gathers- Historians call the
earliest period of human history the Old Stone Age or Paleolithic
Age First tool makers, 10,000 BC African Beginnings- 1959, Mary and
Louis Leakey found pieces of bone embedded in Ancient rock at
Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania Found the bone belonged to early human
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1974, Donald Johanson found part of humanlike skeleton in
Ethiopia. Named his find Lucy after a Beatles song Evidence shows
the earliest humans came from East Africa Their descendents later
migrated east to Europe.
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Nomads on the Move- Paleolithic people lived in small hunting
and food gathering bands, about 20 to 30 people Everyone
contributed to feeding the group Men hunted and fished Women cared
for children, gathered fruit, nuts, shellfish Nomads-People moved
from place to place as they followed animals and ripened fruit
People depended on the environment Made simple tools and weapons At
some point developed a spoken language
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Environmental Changes People faced severe challenges from the
weather During several ice ages the earth cooled Thick glaciers
-Sheets of ice that spread across parts of Asia, Europe, and North
America Paleolithic people invented clothing Early Religion and Art
30,000 years ago people began to leave evidence of their beliefs in
the spiritual world World was full of spirits especially those of
the animals they hunted Painted pictures were in the caves they
lived in Began to make statues
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Belief in the Afterlife- People began to bury their dead with
great care Left dead with tools, weapons and other needed goods
First Farmers 11,000 yrs, ago nomadic herds learned to farm Change
from nomadic to settled farming began New Stone Age or Neolithic
Age
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Planting Seeds- Neolithic Agricultural Revolution- the
transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement
Domesticating Animals People learned to domesticate or tame animals
that they once hunted. People became food producers for the first
time
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Skara Brae, Neolithic Village 5000 yrs, ago village in Scotland
Entire area was equal to the size of three classrooms Each house
was similar, people were equal in social class People planted
barley in fielded and tended animals Farmers had workshops and
developed specific jobs
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Changing Ways of Life Village leaders People owned more
possessions New Technology Learned to harvest at proper times
Civilizations emerged
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Beginnings of Civilization Eight Features of Civilization
Cities Well-Organized Central Governments Complex Religions Job
Specifications Social Classes Arts and Architecture Public Works
Writing
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Rise of Cities Farmers began cultivating fertile lands along
river valleys and producing a surplus of goods More food More
people village became a city River valley Civilizations City Rose
in: Tigris and Euphrates, Middle East Nile River, Egypt Indus
River, India Yellow River, China
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Floods spread silt across the valley, renewing the soil,
keeping it fertile Rivers gave regular water supply and a means for
travel and trade Challenges Farmers had to control the floods Early
farmers worked together to build dykes, canals, and carve
irrigation ditches Civilizations in Americas Aztecs and Incas
emerged in the highlands of Mexico and Peru (Not near rivers) Began
as religious centers
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Organized Governments As cities grew they needed to maintain a
steady food supply At first priests had greatest power, warrior
kings eventually became hereditary leaders, father son Right to
rule came from the Gods Rulers issued laws, collected taxes,
organized defense Royal officials enforced laws Bureaucracies-
system of managing government through departments run by appointed
officials
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Complex Religions Polytheistic- Belief in many gods Sun gods,
river gods Developed complex rituals, ceremonies for gods Job
Specifications and Social Classes Urban people made new crafts, one
person couldnt be skilled at everything Skilled artisans- (skilled
craft workers) made pottery, metal working, weaponry,
bricklayers
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Social Ranking- People ranked according to jobs Arts,
Architecture & Public Works Expressed beliefs of the people
Statues of gods and goddesses, temple wall paintings Government
projects to make roads, irrigation systems, defense walls Priests
and Nobles Wealthy Merchants Artisans and Soldiers Peasants
Slaves
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Writing Began in temples Pictograms- Words represented by
pictures Became more complex, only specially trained people,
scribes, learned to read and write Spread of Civilizations Rulers
gained more power, conquered cities City-states- A political unit
that included a city and its surrounding lands and villages
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First Empires rulers conquered many city and villages, creating
empires- group of cities or states controlled by one ruler
Interactions with Nomadic people Nomads tended cattle on steppes-
less fertile, sparse dry grasslands Had to keep moving heard
because of poor water City people got along with nomads for
political, economic or military matters At times had conflicts
Cultural Diffusion- The spread of ideas, customs and technologies
from one people to another