Early People
• Identify possible explanations of how people came to live in the Americas
• Explain how early peoples in the Americas lived, hunted, and farmed.
• Understand how changes in the environment affected early peoples’ lives
How did civilizations develop in the Americas?
8,000 B.C. – Mammoths become extinct
3,000 B.C. – people in the Americas begin farming
A.D. 300 – The Mayan Civilization begins to grow
A.D. 1200 – More than 30,000 people live in Cahokia
SS Chapter 2 – Native Americans, Lesson 1
The Land Bridge Story
– thousands of years ago, scientists theorize, the Native American ancestors
migrated from Asia.
The “bridge” theory is the idea that large sheets of ice connected North America
with Western Asia. This bridge was nicknamed Beringia.
Theory – is an idea based on study and research
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A Long Journey
This migration of people may have taken
hundreds of years.
Migration – is a movement of people.
Scientists continue to debate
how Native American ancestors
arrived.
Many Scientists believe it was
possible for their ancestors to
arrive by boat. Sea and Land.
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Early Ways of Life
The early people most likely lived as nomads, people who moved from place to place.
Their food source was the main purpose for moving.
They likely hunted animals like the mastodons and woolly mammoths, now extinct.
Early people hunted these
animals, ate the meat, used
the furs skins and bones to
make clothing and tools.
They were hunters and
gatherers. Not yet farmers.
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Scientists have found spear
points and artifacts near the
bones of extinct mammoths.
We learn a lot from artifacts.
Artifact – objects made by people
8,000 B.C. – the giant animals become extinct.
People now need to find new sources of food. They begin to fish
and hunt smaller animals.
Over time, they make new hunting tools. They are forced to advance.
3,000 B.C. – some people in the Americas begin planting seeds and growing
crops such as corn and beans.
The rise of agriculture (farming) was a major reason why people began to
settle into one place (create villages). As groups raised more food, the
population grew.
As populations grew, tribes began to form. Tribes share a common language,
land, and leaders. They make their own cultures and traditions
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Early CIVILIZATIONS of the
Americas
A civilization is a group of people with ways of life, religion, and
learning. Civilizations progress over time and become more complex.
1500 B.C. – A.D. 300 –
1000 B.C – A.D. 1500 –
100 B.C. – A.D. 1300 –
A.D. 300 – A.D. 900 –
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The Olmec
The Mound Builders
Ancient Pueblos
Maya
San Lorenzo
The Olmec
Olmec cities were located near rivers with rich soil.
They had a strong trade system.
They created
systems of writing
and counting.
They developed
the 365 day
calendar
No one is sure why the Olmec fell from power, but
we know they influenced other cultures.
Historians call the Olmec the “mother culture” of
the Americas, because their customs and ways of
doing things were continued by later civilizations
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The Maya
The Maya ruled most of central America for over a
thousand years. They were influenced by the
Olmec traditions.
Tradition – is a way of life or an idea that has
been handed down from the past.
The Mayan were divided into social classes.
Class – a group of people in a society who have something in
common.
- Religious Leaders
- Important families
- Traders
- Farmers
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The Maya
developed their
own writing system,
or picture symbols.
They also
developed a
counting system
that included the
number zero.
How were the Mayan
and Olmec civilizations
alike?
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The Mound Builders
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The Ancient Puebloans
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Summary
There are several theories about how early
people arrived in the Americas. Early
people most likely led a nomadic way of
life. They kept moving, following animals
they hunted. Over time, people began to
farm and to build settlements. The Olmec
and the Maya lived in what is now
Mexico. The Mound Builders and the
Ancient Puebloans lived in what is now
the United States.
SS Chapter 2 – Native Americans, Lesson 1