PREHISTORY AND EARLY HUMANS Subunit 1 Patterns of

PRE-HISTORY AND EARLY HUMANS Subunit 1: Patterns of Human Organization

Essential Questions • How do historians discover knowledge about the past without writing? • What were the major differences between the Paleo- and Neolithic eras? • How did systematic agriculture lead to the creation of the first civilizations?

How Historians Study Pre. History • Prehistory- time before writing was developed • Archaeology- Study of past societies through analysis of what people left behind • Anthropology- the study of human life and culture

Hominid: Human-like creature that walks upright Homo sapiens: modern man (“wise human”) sapien

Evolutionary Advantages Earliest traits • Flexible thumbs & fingers • Strong and sturdy ankle bones • Upright posture (walking on 2 legs) • Darker skin Later Traits • Large brain (Most important) • Lighter skin • Blue eyes • Mastery of fire (not a mutation, but still important)

Table Discussion In your table group, discuss… • What would the advantages be of the following genetic mutations: – Upright posture (walking on 2 legs) – Flexible thumbs & fingers – Large brain – Strong and sturdy ankle bones – Lighter skin – Darker skin – Blue eyes – Mastery of fire (not a mutation, but still important)

Out-of-Africa Theory Definition: The global spread of Homo sapiens from Africa about 100, 000 years ago. � � Which areas saw the earliest development outside of Africa? Which areas developed the latest?

Paleolithic Age (“Old Stone” Age) • “Old Stone” – 2, 500, 000 BCE - 10, 000 BCE – Use of simple stone tools • Objective = survival – Nomadic (move to where the food is) – Equality among sexes

Ice Age • Most recent Ice Age began 100, 000 BCE and lasted 2, 000 years • Migration from Asia to North America – Across area called Beringia Why was the mastery of fire integral to human survival during the various Ice Ages in prehistory? – Land masses disappear after ice caps melt