Chapter 1 Section 1 Notes:
I. Before and after writing:
1. 5,000 Years ago people in Southwest Asia and Africa developed
writing systems.
2. This marked the beginning of History.
A. History: The written and other recorded events of people.
B. Prehistory: The time before history. Before writing was
invented.
II. Prehistory: Digging up the Past.
1. Archaeologists: Are scientists who examine objects to learn
about past peoples and cultures.
2. They shift through dirt in prehistoric camps to find, a. bones, b.
tools, and c. other objects.
3. Helps them to understand the people who lived there.
III. History: A Record in Writing.
1. Historians examine written records to learn about the past.
2. They research their human life and accomplishments, their
wars, its religions, and its rulers, to learn about their society as
a whole.
IV. A Record of the spoken Word:
1. First began as Oral traditions: stories passed down by
word of mouth.
2. They told stories of a family’s history, or about heroes and
events that occurred in the past. Not all are historically
accurate.
3. Like myths and legends they contain facts mixed with personal
beliefs.
4. In West Africa a Griot, is a professional storyteller. They keep
oral traditions alive.
V. Linking Geography and History.
1. Geography: Study of the earth’s surface and the processes
that shape it.
2. Geography also refers to the features of a place including its
a. climate
b. landscape
c. location
3. Helps understand why historical events took place.
4. Weather patterns, water supplies, and landscapes, affect the
lives of people.