Early Human History
Prehistory – 3500 BC
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Prehistory – the time ___________________________ writing was developed and
humans began ________________________________________ their stories and activities.
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Theories – archaeological and biological _______________________________ is used
to form theories about how early people lived. Theories are based on
________________________________ observation and analysis, but are not always
accurate.
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Archaeology – the study of past societies through __________________________ of
what people left ______________________________.
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Artifacts – objects made by _____________________ such as ________________________,
weapons, works of art, and structures.
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Anthropology – the study of human life and ___________________ including what
people wear, how they organize society, what they value, and why they make
these __________________________________.
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Fossils – rocklike _________________________ of biological organisms such as the
imprint of a plant or the skeleton of an animal.
• Methods of Dating Artifacts and Fossils:
_______________________________________ Dating – measures the depletion of C – 14 in
an object (Only accurate for things less than ________k yrs old)
_________________________-luminescence – measures ___________________ given off by
electrons trapped in the soil around objects.
_______________ Analysis – deoxyribonucleic acid left in blood, hair, and plant
molecules may last ____________________ of years and can be analyzed to determine how
_______________ were used.
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Hominid – a _____________________ creature that walked ______________________ and
existed up to 4 million years ago and slowly ________________________ over time.
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Australopithecus – meaning “________________________________________,” this early
species of hominid lived in Eastern and Southern Africa but had a very
_____________________brain and shows no evidence of tool use
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Homo Sapiens, Sapiens – meaning “wise, wise human,” were the first to
have an ___________________________ similar to _________________ people and first
appeared between 150 – _______________k years ago
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Out-of-Africa Theory (Replacement Theory) – the idea that Homo Sapiens
spread out of Africa about 100k yrs ago and _____________________________________
other types of _________________________ in Europe and Asia
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Paleolithic Age – early period in human history when people used simple
stone tools
• Hunting and ___________________________________ Lifestyle
• Stone tools: Hand Axes, Spearheads, Arrowheads, Harpoons,
Fishhooks, etc.
• __________________ Important Roles of Men and ____________________________
• Adaptation for Survival
• ____________________________________________
• Use of Fire (Warmth, Cooking, Safety)
• Created _______________
• Development of Early Shelters:
Caves  Tents  _________________________________________________________
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Neolithic Age (Revolution) – the later part of the Stone Age, when ground
or polished stone weapons and implements prevailed. People began
__________________________________ and building permanent settlements.
In the Neolithic period farm animals were first domesticated, and
______________________________________________ was introduced. It began in the Near East
by the 8th millennium BC and spread to northern Europe by the 4th millennium BC.
Neolithic societies in northwestern Europe left such monuments as
__________________________________, long barrows, chamber tombs, and settlements inside
concentric ditches spanned by causeways.