Chapter Introduction
Early Humans
Mesopotamian Civilization
New Empires
Chapter Assessment
Early Humans
Studying the past helps to understand
the present. Scientists who study the past
have learned that the earliest humans
hunted animals and gathered plants for
food. When farming developed, people
settled into villages and towns.
Mesopotamian Civilization
Religion shapes how culture develops,
just as culture shapes how religion
develops. In early Mesopotamian
civilizations, religion and government were
closely linked. Kings created strict laws to
govern people.
New Empires
Conflict often brings about great
change. New empires arose in
Mesopotamia around 900 B.C. These
civilizations included the Assyrians and the
Chaldeans. They used powerful armies
and iron weapons to conquer the region.
Today people live in towns and cities of various
sizes. Early humans lived by moving from place to
place, forming settlements, and exploring different
ways to provide for themselves and their families.
• Paleolithic people adapted to their environment
and invented many tools to help them survive.
(page 123)
• In the Neolithic Age, people started farming,
building communities, producing goods, and
trading. (page 127)
Jericho
Çatal Hüyük
anthropologist
nomad
archaeologist
technology
artifact
domesticate
fossil
specialization
task
revolution
Scientists believe early humans made tools from
other materials besides stone. They probably used
wooden sticks to dig holes and used bark from
trees to make containers. Unlike stone, these
organic materials decay, so remnants from the
early humans are unavailable.
I. Early Humans (pages 123–126)
A. History is the story of humans in the past,
and historians are the people who study
and write about humans of the past.
B. Anthropologists study how humans
developed and related to each other.
Archaeologists hunt for evidence buried in
the ground. Archaeologists study artifacts—
weapons, tools, and other things made by
humans. They also look for fossils—traces
of plants or animals that are preserved in
rock.
I. Early Humans (pages 123–126)
I. Early Humans (pages 123–126)
C. Louis, Mary, and Richard Leakey are the
most famous archaeologists. Louis and
Mary found many fossils of hominids, which
are creatures that walk on two legs. Mary
also discovered the skull of a creature nearly
two million years old.
D. Donald Johanson was an anthropologist who
discovered a female hominid that was nearly
3 million years old. The remains, which were
nicknamed Lucy, showed that humans began
walking on two legs before they used tools.
I. Early Humans (pages 123–126)
E. The prehistoric period of human history is
called the Stone Age. The earliest part of the
Stone Age is called the Paleolithic period.
F. Paleolithic people were nomads, traveling
from place to place to hunt and search
for food.
G. Paleolithic women cared for children and
gathered berries, nuts, and grains. Paleolithic
men hunted animals using clubs, spears,
traps, and bows and arrows.
I. Early Humans (pages 123–126)
H. Paleolithic people adapted to their
environment. Those in warm climates
wore little clothing and had little need for
shelter. Those in cold climates used caves
for shelter. Over time, they learned to
create shelters from animal hides and
wooden poles.
I. Paleolithic people discovered fire, which
kept them warm, lit the darkness, and
cooked food.
I. Early Humans (pages 123–126)
J. Long periods of extreme cold are called the
Ice Ages. During the Ice Ages, thick sheets
of ice covered parts of Europe, Asia, and
North America.
K. Paleolithic people developed spoken
language and expressed themselves through
art, which may have had religious meaning.
L. During this time, humans first used
technology. They created tools such
as spears and hand axes using stone
called flint.
I. Early Humans (pages 123–126)
How did spoken language help the
Paleolithic people?
Language made it easier for people to work
together and pass on knowledge.
II. The Agricultural Revolution (pages 127–131)
A. In the Mesolithic Age, people began to
domesticate, or tame, animals.
Domesticated animals carried goods and
provided meat, milk, and wool.
B. People in different parts of the world began
growing crops about the same time. Because
farmers needed to stay close to their fields,
they built permanent homes in villages. This
marked the beginning of the Neolithic Age.
II. The Agricultural Revolution (pages 127–131)
C. Historians call the changes made in the
Neolithic Age the agricultural revolution.
A revolution refers to changes that greatly
affect other areas of life.
D. Permanent villages provided people with
security and steady food. The surplus food
led to a larger population. Villagers traded
with people in their own communities and
also with people who lived in other areas.
II. The Agricultural Revolution (pages 127–131)
E. One of the oldest villages is Jericho, located
in the West Bank between present-day Israel
and Jordan. Another Neolithic village is
Çatal Hüyük in present-day Turkey.
F. Not all people in a village were farmers.
Some made pottery, mats, and cloth. They
traded these goods for things they did not
have. The food surplus allowed people to
practice these specializations, or different
kinds of jobs.
II. The Agricultural Revolution (pages 127–131)
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II. The Agricultural Revolution (pages 127–131)
G. People continued to create new technology.
They created better farming tools and began
working with metal, copper, and tin. They
also began working with bronze.
II. The Agricultural Revolution (pages 127–131)
II. The Agricultural Revolution (pages 127–131)
Why was farming important to the
Neolithic people?
Farming allowed people to settle in one place,
and it provided a steady food supply.
• Early humans were nomads who moved about to
hunt animals and gather food. They built shelters
and used fire to survive. In time, they developed
language and art.
• During the farming revolution, people began to
grow crops and domesticate animals, which
allowed them to settle in villages.
1. Who are archaeologists, and what
do they study?
Archaeologists are scientists who learn about
past human life from fossils and artifacts.
2. How did domesticating animals
help the Neolithic people?
Animals supplied meat, milk, and wool. They
also carried goods.
(3) CA HI2.
3. Determine Cause and Effect
Draw a diagram like the one below.
List some of the effects that
farming had on people’s lives.
Effects include a steady supply of food, villages,
new jobs, and trade.
(4) CA HI2. (5) CA CS1.
4. The Big Ideas How do changes
in the Neolithic Age still affect
people today?
We live in towns and no longer hunt and
gather food.
5. Compare Compare the technology
of the Paleolithic Age with that of
the Neolithic Age.
Paleolithic technologies included stone, bone,
and wooden tools and weapons. Neolithic
technologies included metal tools and weapons.
(6) CA HI2.
6. Analyze Why was the ability to
make a fire so important?
Fire made heat, scared animals, and
cooked food.