Civilization Begins
Chapter 1
Prehistory – 3000 B.C.
Measurement of Time
Prehistory to 0
• B.C. – Before Christ or…
• B.C.E.– Before Common Era
Year 1 to present is referred to as:
• A.D. – Anno Domini or…
• C.E – common era
1.1
The Geographer
• Study people & their environment
• Study five major themes:
1. Location - where a place is on the surface of the Earth
2. Interaction - how people have shaped and been shaped
by the places where they lived
3. Movement - of people, goods, and ideas
4. Place - physical & human characteristics of a location
5. Region - places with similar unifying physical, economic,
or cultural features.
The Archeologists…
• Study Prehistory - before
there was writing.
• Study artifacts - objects
made by people, such
as tools, weapons,
pottery, clothing, and
jewelry.
The Historian
• Study written evidence such as letters
or tax records and visual evidence such
as photographs or films to reconstruct
the past.
• Evaluate information for reliability
1.2
Paleolithic Age
• Old Stone Age
• Lasted until ~10,000 BCE
– Hunter/gatherers or nomads.
– Made clothes & tools (i.e. spears &
axes from natural materials)
– Built fires
– Developed spoken languages
– Religions began
Sungir, Russia, buried
some 25,000 years ago
Neolithic Age
• New Stone Age
• Learned to farm
– Plant seeds & domesticated animals
– Transformed our existence
• Appx. 5,000 years ago, these
advances led to the rise of
civilizations.
– Social hierarchy (leader, farmers, etc.)
– Accumulation of personal property
– New technologies
Paleolithic vs. Neolithic
Use 22-30 pg. in your textbook to compare/contrast Paleolithic vs. Neolithic peoples.
Time Frame
Lifestyle
Housing
Shelter
Food
Tools
Paleolithic
Neolithic
2.5 million years -->
___________________
8,000 --> __________
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Homework:
• Read the article, “Pros and Cons of
Farming.”
Hunting/Gathering vs Farming
Pros
Cons
Beginnings of Civilizations
Cities first arose in river valleys because:
1.
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Water
Farming
Renewable soil
Animals
Transportation
Civilizations Emerge
Farmers began cultivating lands along river
valleys & producing surplus
Surpluses helped populations expand
As population grew, villages swelled into
cities
8 features common
to early civs:
1. Cities
–
In fertile areas (near rivers) producing a food surplus.
2. Well-organized central governments
–
–
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Needed to maintain order and the surplus
Divine Right
Bureaucracy developed
3. Complex religions
–
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Polytheistic, believing in many gods
Controlling the natural forces and human activities
People created ceremonies, temples and priests to
intervene with the gods on behalf of the people
4. Job specialization
–
Artisans, priests, farmers, weapons maker and soldiers
Features
5. Social classes
–
The importance of the persons job
ranked them socially
6. Arts and architecture
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Temples to the gods
Places for the rulers
7. Public works to benefit the city
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Defensive walls, irrigation systems,
roads and bridges
8. Writing
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Pictograms
Leaders needed to keep records
Up Next…Ancient Egypt
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