Early Humans Pre History the beginnings of agriculture

Early Humans Pre History – the beginnings of agriculture

Early Man first modern humans appear in Africa about 250, 000 years ago gradually began to spread out of Africa. By 10, 000 B. C. humans had spread across the globe.

Paleolithic Age earliest period of prehistory. It was form 2. 5 million years to 10, 000 B. C. Humans first began to use crude stone tools. Paleolithic means “old stone”.

Society and lifestyle Early humans were huntergatherers, lived in nomadic groups of 10 -30 followed game and vegetation cycles throughout the year. Men and women were equals and shared responsibility lived in caves and crude huts made from wood animal hides. used fire to keep warm and cook food

Cave Paintings Discovered in caves. Most famous are the cave paintings in Lascaux, France. Most paintings were of animals. Paintings were used in religious rituals or had magical powers that brought successful hunt. Paleolithic Art

Read pages 21 -25 in the World History book. Using your notes and the text briefly describe the Paleolithic Age. Explain what it was, how was it different than before, how did they live, what were the cultural and technological advancements? Assignment

The Neolithic Revolution and the Beginnings of Civilization 8, 000 B. C. - 3, 000 B. C.

Culture is a peoples way of life. A civilization is a complex culture Six important aspects of civilization Cities Government Religion Social Structures Art Writing The Emergence of Civilization

Shift from hunting and gathering to keeping animals and growing food § Led to a stable food supply, rise of permanent settlements § Allowed people to keep a reliable food supply and gave humans greater control over their environment Origins of the Neolithic Revolution

Early Permanent Settlements Early cities developed near rivers, near a reliable water supply, near good agricultural land, and in places that were easy to defend

The rise of agriculture and the domestication of animals Between 8, 000 B. C. and 5, 000 B. C. agriculture developed all over the world. Mesoamerica (Central America and Mexico), China, the Fertile Crescent, and the Indus River Valley in South Asia

Changes in society Complex communities specialized roles began to develop Men farming and herding Women domestic tasks like weaving Developed the first calendars and systems for marking the passage of time Later Neolithic period people began to use metals. First they used copper. Later they mixed copper with tin to make bronze a more durable metal. Neolithic Copper Tools

Definitions and concepts to know There will be a quiz over the Neolithic Revolution- why is it important, what were some of the advances and changes in society Explain how agriculture changed human life. At least two ways Where did early cities develop? What is culture, civilization? What are the six aspects of civilization?

First Civilizations Southwest Asia and Africa

Definitions- city state, cuneiform, bureaucracy, theocracy, polytheistic, empire, ziggurat, Hammurabi’s code, Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, Fertile Crescent Places- Mesopotamia, Egypt, Nile River, Tigris River, Euphrates River, Babylon, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf Be prepared to answer the following question: Compare and contrast Mesopotamia and the Empires of Egypt. Use examples of geography, government, cities, religion, social structure and the arts and architecture, writing Vocabulary and Concepts to know

Government –early governments led by monarchs. organized armies developed laws Religion- explained nature and existence of things. class of priests developed rulers legitimized their power by claiming to be divine Social structure based on economic status. Rulers, warriors, priests, officials -upper class. Farmers, artisans and merchants- next class bottom were the slaves, servants Arts and Architecture was used to portray natural forces , gods and goddesses buildings display the power Writing used to keep records, for creative thought and expression Most important early civilizations grew up river valleys Aspects of Culture

Mesopotamia Geography Eastern end of the fertile crescent. Present day Iraq Between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Flooding created rich agricultural area Society organized to control floods Created a stable water supply, irrigation system in desert environment. Created a stable food supply and made possible population growth

Ancient Mesopotamia Three general areas- Assyria, Sumer, and Akkad Cultures centered around city-states that controlled the surrounding areas politically and economically.

Earliest culture Sumerians (3000 B. C. ) Formed city states Ur and Uruk. City- state basic political unit of Sumerian city- state was a theocracy – a government ruled by priests and divine authority. Priests important authority figures politically, religiously Power was passed to military leaders who became kings Traced authority back to the divine (from the gods) City- States of Mesopotamia

Sumerians built with mud bricks Invented the arch and dome. Most important building in each city was the ziggurat. ◦ Steep sided tower that functioned like city hall. ◦ Priests had temples on top Sumerian arts made to honor and appease the gods Arts and Architecture

Religion Sumerian religion polytheistic, worshiped many gods Sumerian gods and goddesses reflected the cultures- response to the harsh environment they lived in. Sumerian gods were all powerful- they could send flood or drought to destroy the city To keep gods happy they built impressive temples and offered sacrifices of food, animals and wine

Sumerian social structure Sumerian city- states had three classes. Nobles, commoners and slaves. Nobles- royal family, warriors, priests Commoners- farmers, merchants, artisans. ◦ 90% of the people were farmers, had to give a portion of their crops to the priests as a tax Some women trained as priestesses, some upper class women were formally educated Sumerian trade networks stretched from the Mediterranean to India

Trade Routes

Writing Sumerians developed a form of writing known as cuneiform. One of the earliest writing systems Most writing was for record keeping Made it possible to pass information from generation to generation, create literature the Epic of Gilgamesh story of a Mesopotamian hero that searches for immortality.

Mesopotamia was a broad, flat river valley that made the area open to invasion The Akkadians northeast of Sumer, attacked and took over Sumerian city-states around 2400 B. C. Spoke completely different language known as Semitic Around 2340 B. C. Sargon, the leader of the Akkadians took control of the region and formed the worlds first empire. An empire large political unit that controls many people and territories. 1792 B. C. Babylonians, established new empire over most of Sumer and Akkad Most famous leader of Babylon- Hammurabi Other Empires in Mesopotamia

The Code of Hammurabi One of the world’s earliest systems of law. Posted on a stone for everybody to see. Called for harsh punishments, punishment dictated by social class. Principle of retaliation was fundamental to the code Hammurabi’s code was 282 laws that covered all parts of society-marriage, children, public life, trade, loans, etc. It influenced many laws today.

They developed the wheel- wagon wheel, potters wheel Invented the arch, sundial Used astronomy and math Invented geometry to measure fields and erect buildings. Math system based on the number 60 The military conquests and trade networks spread these inventions and new technologies across the region. This is known as cultural diffusion Other Achievements of the Mesopotamian Cultures

2700 B. C. - 1085 B. C. Egyptian Empires

Geography of Egypt Nile river flows south to north, influenced culture of Egypt Floods each year enriches the soil. Good soil allowed farmers to produce surplus food, allowed the population to grow. Nile served as a means for transportation and communication. River acted as a unifying force for Egypt

Egypt had geographical barriers that kept it from being invaded by others. Deserts to the east and west The Red Sea The Mediterranean Sea to the north The rapids of the Nile known as cataracts, kept people from coming down river Geography of Egypt

Three major periods Old Kingdom 2700 -2200 B. C. Middle Kingdom 2050 -1652 B. C. New Kingdom 1567 -1085 B. C. Each period was a time of stability, peace and cultural flourishing Major upheaval between kingdoms Egyptian History (BRIEFLY)

The Old Kingdom Egypt was united around 3100 B. C. when Menes created the first dynasty. Egyptian rulers known as pharos Pharaoh had absolute power. Created a large bureaucracy to organize and regulate the kingdom Pyramids built during the Old Kingdom for the pharos and families. Tombs contained all essentials needed for the person in the afterlife

Middle Kingdom Egyptian “Golden Age” Expanded kingdom into Nubia, trade reached Mesopotamia and Crete Pharos had a new concern for people. Expected to build public works and provide for the welfare Swampland drained and a canal connected the Nile and the Red Sea Invasion by Hyksos people of Western Asia ended the Middle Kingdom Attacked with horse drawn chariots. Egyptians learned how to use bronze for farming tools, weapons, adopted horse drawn chariot for military reasons

New Kingdom Egypt created an empire Pharos extremely wealthy, many built grand temples Akhenaton tried to make the Egyptians monotheistic and worship only the sun god. Many believed this upset the cosmic order. Akhenaton died the boy pharaoh, Tutankhamen, restored the polytheistic religion Unknown invasions by other cultures destroyed the New Kingdom

Religion in Egypt Religion provides sense of security and timelessness. This was important to the Egyptians One of the first groups to believe in life after death. The reason for mummies People believed they were judged for their deeds when they died.

Egyptians were polytheistic Two groups of gods- sun gods and land gods. Sun god symbol of life Pharaoh considered the son of the sun god The two major land gods Osiris and Isis Osiris symbol of rebirth- represented the rebirth of the land when the Nile flooded Isis represented the new life that the land brought each spring There were many other god and goddesses in Egyptian life Egyptian Religion

Society and Daily Life Few Egyptians lived in cities, most of them lived in farming villages along the Nile. Pharaoh top of society, surrounded by a class of ruling nobles, priests. Managed the government, wealth of the empire Egyptians not locked into status, person could move up and down the social ladder Merchants and artisans next group The largest group- peasants. They worked the land, provided revenue (taxes) and served in the military

Egyptians married young. Parents arranged marriages, chief concerns were family and property Women had great deal of equality Wife was head of the household, educated the children. Women kept property in marriage and could get divorced. Society and Daily Life

Writing, Arts, Architecture and Cultural Achievements Writing allowed their culture to flourish. Earliest writing hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics picture symbols. Eventually each symbol was used to represent a letter. Used to keep records, record information about society, pass knowledge to future generations. Originally done on stone tablets, but they discovered the use of a reed, papyrus , to make paper

Egyptian architecture known for pyramids. Used the first columns in building Knowledge of math and geometry allowed them to build pyramids, survey lands and create public work projects such as canals for irrigation. Egyptian accounting was a system used to assess and collect taxes and manage revenue Writing, Arts, Architecture and Cultural Achievements

Writing, Arts, Architecture and Cultural Achievements To keep track of times to plant, harvest and the floods the Egyptians developed a calendar. Priests observed certain star appeared on the horizon just before the floods came. The time between one rising and the next was 365 days. Divided this time in 12 months of 30 days each with 5 days of holidays and feasting. Accuracy of the calendar- it was only six hours short of the true solar year.

Writing, Arts, Architecture and Cultural Achievements Egyptian medicine famous in the ancient world. Doctors check heart rate, set broken bones, and provide treatment for wounds and infection, performed surgery. Noted for their ability to preserve dead bodies for the afterlife (mummification). Cosmetics used by men and women. Function to enhance beauty, also protect them from the desert environment