WORLD BEFORE THE OPENING OF THE ATLANTIC

1. Chapter 1 WORLD BEFORE THE OPENING OF THE ATLANTIC Section l: The Earliest Americans Section 2: Cultural Areas in North America Section 3: Europe During the Middle Ages

2. Section 1: The Earliest Americans OBJECTIVES • How did the first people arrive in the Americas? • Why was the development of agriculture important? • What were some aspects of early Mesoamerican cultures? • What early societies existed in North America, and what were their accomplishments?

3. Section 1: The Earliest Americans The First Migration to the Americas • Many scientists believe that people first arrived in North America during the last Ice Age. • Historians rely on archaeology (the study of the unwritten past) and artifacts (remains of objects made by humans) to determine when people crossed into North America.

4. Section 1: The Earliest Americans (continued) The First Migration to the Americas • Migrations, movement of people from one region to another, took place over a long period of time. • Artifacts suggest that Paleo-Indians, the first Americans, crossed into Alaska from Asia sometime between 38,000 and 10,000 b.c. across Beringia, a land bridge.

5. Section 1: The Earliest Americans Adapting to a New Climate • Warmer weather at the end of the Ice Age created many new environments. • Different environments influenced the development of Native American societies. • The development of agriculture allowed many Native American groups to settle in villages and led to the rise of larger and more complex societies.

6. Section 1: The Earliest Americans Mesoamerica and South America • Olmec Society • Called the “mother culture” • Priests created number and calendar systems; invented a method of writing that used glyphs • Maya Civilization • Built many large stone temples, palaces, and bridges • Created several calendars • Studied mathematics and astronomy

7. Section 1: The Earliest Americans (continued) Mesoamerica and South America • Aztec Civilization • Tenochtitlán – the center of Aztec civilization • Tenochtitlán – stood in the middle of a huge lake with raised highways connecting the city to the shore • Is believed that as many as 300,000 people may have lived in Tenochtitlán • Conquered most of their neighbors and had a vast trading network

8. Section 1: The Earliest Americans Early North American Societies • The Anasazi • Built their pueblos, or villages, among high hills and deep canyons • Pueblos were made mostly of cut stone or adobe – sun-baked clay and straw – and were multistory buildings with ladders

9. Section 1: The Earliest Americans (continued) Early North American Societies • The Hopewell • Built large burial mounds • Supported their large populations with agriculture and trade • The Mississippian • Had religious practices honoring the dead • Built pyramid mounds out of solid earth where religious ceremonies were held on top of the pyramids

10. Section 2:Cultural Areas in North America OBJECTIVES • How did the environment influence Native American cultures in North America? • What types of housing did Native Americans build? • What were various traits of Native Americans in different culture areas?

11. Influence of Environment • The Far North • Few plants grew in Arctic culture area because of extreme cold weather • Groups survived by fishing and hunting large mammals • Built earthen, stone, or wooden houses partly underground and sometimes used blocks of ice or other materials to build igloos for housing • The Pacific Coast • Mild climate allowed for plentiful supply of game • Many food sources available to those living in southern region

12. (continued) Influence of Environment • The West and the Southwest • Less rain received in this area led to fewer resources available • People used a variety of methods to obtain food, including hunting, irrigation, agriculture, and raiding other villages • The Great Plains • Were mainly grassland, on which millions of buffalo and other game grazed in herds • Some groups grew crops such as maize, beans, and squash

13. (continued) Influence of Environment • The East • Part of region was mainly forest and thus rich in sources for food and shelter • The Everglades – a huge swamp that also provided many resources • Many in region were able to exist by farming, hunting and gathering, trading, and fishing

14. Section 2:Cultural Areas in North America Types of Housing • Igloos • Wigwams • Longhouses

15. Section 2:Cultural Areas in North America Cultural Traits • Language • Fishing and hunting • Totems • Potlatches • Religious activities

16. Section 3:Europe During the Middle Ages OBJECTIVES • What new lands did the Vikings Explore? • What were society and daily life like during the Middle Ages? • How did the Catholic Church affect people’s lives during the Middle Ages? • What events brought about major change in the late Middle Ages?

17. The Vikings sailed to Europe and North America. Section 3:Europe During the Middle Ages Viking Exploration

18. Section 3:Europe During the Middle Ages Society and Daily Life in the Middle Ages • The Middle Ages lasted from about A.D. 500 to 1500. • A New Government developed called feudalism. • People lived on large estates called manors. • Life of nobility and peasants differed.

19. Section 3:Europe During the Middle Ages Catholic Church in the Middle Ages • The Catholic Church was the center of religious and social life. • Christianity influenced culture and politics. • Monasteries and convents were important to Christian men and women.

20. Section 3:Europe During the Middle Ages Major Change in the Late Middle Ages • Nobles lost power. • Monarchs built new nations. • Magna Carta limited English monarchs’ power and protected some individual rights. • Trade expanded. • Cities grew. • Agricultural innovations led to population growth.