WHAP Unit 1, Chapter 1 Reading Guide
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Name:
Date:
Hour:
Read Chapter 1 and Identify the following:
Prehistory:
the time before written records
Paleolithic Era:
“old stone age”, time of early homo
sapiens societies before agriculture
Homo sapiens:
The modern species of humans,
hominids
Hunters and gatherers/foragers:
People who live by collecting food
rather than producing it
Venus figurines:
Paleolithic carvings of the female
form, often exaggerated, which may
have had religious significance
The Dreamtime:
A complex worldview of Australia’s
Aboriginal people that held that
current humans live in a vibration or
echo of ancestral happenings
Clovis:
Earliest widespread and distinctive
culture of N. America; named for the
Clovis point/spear head
Neolithic Era:
“new stone age” marked by
agriculture
Agricultural Revolution:
Transformation of human existence
caused by the deliberate cultivation of
plants and domestication of animals
Gobekli Tepe:
“First Temple”, sw Turkey, pillars in
circle with carvings of animals
Fertile Crescent:
Region in SW Asia, present day Iraq,
earliest home of agriculture
Domestication:
The taming and changing of nature for
the benefit of humankind
“secondary products revolution”:
Series of technological changes that
began around 4000 BCE as people
began to find new uses for
domesticated animals (power source)
Pastoralism:
Relying on domesticated animals
rather than plants for food, nomadic
Catal Huyuk:
Important Neolithic site in present day
Turkey
Chiefdom:
A societal grouping governed by a
chief who typically relies on
generosity, ritual status, or charisma
rather than force to win obedience
from the people
Migration:
Movement, settlement, or relocating
to another region/area
Diffusion:
The gradual spread of agricultural
techniques without extensive
population movement
Banpo:
Site of a Chinese Neolithic village
Jericho:
Important early agricultural
settlement in present day Israel, walls
Bantu/Bantu Migration:
Bantu-speaking peoples move from
Southern Nigeria south into other
parts of Africa and become dominant
culture by their agricultural and
ironworking skills
Key Concept 1.1
Big Geography and the Peopling of the Earth
I. Migration of huntingforaging bands during the
Paleolithic era
Where? Why?
Out of Africa into Eurasia, Australia, the Americas, Pacific Islands (map 1.1)…..control of
fire, curiosity, need for more food, land bridges/Beringia
A. Humans used fire in many
ways.
Warmth, light, burn plants to make room for other more desirable plants, trapped
animals for hunting, cooking, scare away animals
B. Humans developed a wider
range of tools.
Spears, bows/arrows, stone tools, micro tools/more refined, awls, needles, scrapers,
knives
C. Economic structures of
small kinship groups of
hunting-foraging bands and
their trade
Egalitarian, men and women both did work that was seen as equal in importance, had
to have both hunters and gatherers to survive, importance of society not based on
wealth---no accumulated wealth, no private ownership of land
(Trade in Pacific Islands/already had agriculture) No set structure
Key Concept 1.2
The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies
I. The Neolithic Revolution
The drastic change from only hunting and gathering/foraging to farming, the start of
agriculture
Domestication of crops and animals!
Caused people to settle, population to grow, and led to “civilization” with
specialization of labor, impacted environment
Starting in Fertile Crescent, relatively at the same time around the world
Jericho, Banpo
A. Permanent agricultural
villages emerged.
B. Pastoralism
C. Different crops or animals
were domesticated
D. Agricultural communities
had to work cooperatively to
clear land and create water
control systems needed for
crop production.
E. These agricultural practices
(B, C, D) drastically impacted
the environment.
Living from the herding of domesticated animals, known as herders
Milk, meat and blood central to diet, nomadic/seasonally move
Conflict with wealthy, settled communities
Animal husbandry/breeding
(List) See map on page 28-29!!! So many around the world, most in Fertile Crescent
***
Terraced hillsides, irrigation ditches, canals
Slash and burn
Some ag. Communities remained very egalitarian without social classes--- Catal Huyuk
Kinship groups saw elders exploit labor of younger members
In chiefdoms, tribute collected
Mega-faunal extinction (large animal)
deforestation
selection of certain plants over others
soil erosion
Domestication affects animals/plants, can’t be in the wild
II. Agriculture and pastoralism began to transform human societies.
A. More reliable and
abundant food supplies
B. Specialization of labor
C. Improvements in
agricultural production, trade,
and transportation.
D. Hierarchical and patriarchal
social structures
Farming provided more food for less work, no worry of extinction of animals, did not
have to worry about finding food
Population rose
Not everyone has to farm for themselves. Farmers produce food for more than just
themselves. Therefore, people have time to do other things. “Jobs” are created in
other fields not related to finding food---pottery, weapons, government, religion,
medicine, clothing, teaching etc.
Social Classes develop
Plows, secondary products revolution, boats, carts, manure, new weapons of
metallurgy (gold, copper, then bronze, then iron), jewelry
Diffusion of agricultural ideas and products
Wine and beer
At first egalitarian, men and women’s jobs are equal.
Specialized labor: Certain jobs are seen as higher or more important than others.
Social classes form.
Possible Infanticide of females?
Chiefdoms—leader, over time certain groups have more power/influence, taking war
captives, etc.
Timeline and Map:
Instead of copying dates and redrawing the map of migration from Chapter 1 (Map 1.1), write a paragraph describing
the migration of humans from 100,000 to 700 years ago.
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