Early Human History

1. Early Human History Paleolithic art from Lascaux, France.

2. I. The Stone Age • Stone Age split into three distinct periods: • Paleolithic (Old Stone) Age – roughly 2 million years ago until 12,000 B.C.E. • Mesolithic (Middle Stone) Age – about 12,000 to 8,000 B.C.E. • Neolithic (New Stone) Age – about 8,000 to 3,000 B.C.E. • Life during Paleolithic age • Simple tool use (sticks, stones of varying shapes and sizes) • Nomads – highly mobile, moved from place to place looking for food • Hunter-gatherers – depended on hunting animals and collecting foods • Humans evolved to what we are today: Homo sapiens sapiens • Originated about 240,000 years ago in Africa

3. I. continued… • Life in Paleolithic Age continued… • Population growth was slow – hunter-gatherer way of life cannot support large groups • Late Paleolithic – development of culture • A people’s unique way of life – helps explain the environment and rules for social behavior • Development of complex languages and speech • Entire world is populated by end of Paleolithic Age • Developments in the Mesolithic Age • Last great Ice Age ends, living conditions improve for most of the Northern Hemisphere • Human progress accelerates – tools, weapons become more sophisticated • Food storage, animal domestication (taming) begins • Population growth accelerated

4. II. Neolithic Revolution • Between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago, agriculture (farming) began • This is called the Neolithic (or Agricultural) Revolution • Took thousands of years to spread from Middle East (Fertile Crescent) to rest of world • Many groups began by practicing an early agriculture technique called slash-and-burn farming: • Cut and burned vegetation to clear a field – allowed to grow back after a year or two, once farmers have moved on • Further domestication of animals – horses, dogs, goats, pigs, sheep, camels

5. II. Continued… • Neolithic Revolution paves way for permanent settlements • Agriculture allowed larger groups to live in one place • Catal Huyuk • A Neolithic Age village, founded about 7,000 B.C.E. in modern-day Turkey • Population was in the thousands • Specialized workers and cultural life flourished • Drawbacks: natural disasters, diseases, warfare were common problems or people live closely together • Neolithic Revolution comic

6. III. Civilization • Permanent settlements, like Catal Huyuk, led to emergence of civilization • Societies that rely on agriculture, produce food surpluses • Have formal political organization • Characterized by groups of non-farming elites, merchant and manufacturing groups, specialized workers • Development of writing • Essential to civilization for communication, record keeping, establishment of law and order • Cuneiform – first system of writing, emerged in Middle East around 3500 B.C.E.

7. IV. End of Stone Age • Bronze Age • Emergence of civilizations also brought about the end of the Stone Age • Bronze Age – began around 3000 B.C.E. with the widespread use of bronze (type of metal) tools

8. Key Vocabulary – Chapter 1 (Part 1) • Paleolithic (Old Stone) Age • Homo sapiens sapiens • Neolithic (New Stone) Age • Neolithic Revolution • Hunting and gathering • Bronze Age • Slash and burn agriculture • Bands • Catal Huyuk • Civilization • Cuneiform • Nomads