Chapter 1 Lesson 1 The Distant Past

1. Chapter 1 Lesson 1The Distant Past

2. Objectives • Describe what is known about the early humans through archaeological studies. • Tell about the achievements of scientists who have studied the ancient past.

3. Vocabulary • Prehistory – time before written records • Archaeology – the study of things left behind • Artifact – objects made by people • Fossil – remains, such as bones, of once living animals or humans • Theory- accepted explanations about life in the past • Hominid – humans and species with humanlike characteristics • Paleolithic Era – Old Stone Age • Migrate – to move from place to place

4. Uncovering the Past • Scientists use artifacts, fossil, and other evidence to develop theories about prehistory • They compare similar fossils from different time periods to see how physical features change over time • Artifacts and fossils can help tell how humans lived and what they might have looked like

5. Excavating Sites • Scientists excavate archaeological sites by digging up artifacts and fossils • The items they find are then dated and studied at laboratories

6. African Beginnings • Scientists in eastern Africa have found fossils of bones of several kinds of early hominids • Australopithecines lived in grasslands and forests about 1-4 million years ago

7. The Paleolithic Era Begins • By 2.5 million years ago, a hominid group now called Homo habilis, living in Africa, began making stone tools • This marked the beginning of the Paleolithic Era (Old Stone Age) • Homo erectus (upright person) mastered the use of fire and, possibly, speaking

8. Beyond Africa • As Earth’s climate cooled, Homo erectus began to migrate into new areas

9. Summary • Using artifacts and fossils, archaeologists and other scientists can tell us about how early hominids may have lived and what they mad have looked like • Beginning with australopithecines, there were several kinds of hominids • Homo habilis made the first chipped stone tools. • In time, Homo erectus, the only surviving hominid, spread from Africa into Asia and Europe