Civ IN- PowerPoint text from Lecture 1
Lecture 1B- Prehistory
I)
Evolution (?)
II)
Paleolithic Age
III)
Neolithic Age
IDs:
Epistemology
Literalism
Evolution
fides et ratio
hominids
Ardi
Paleolithic
hunter/gatherer
Tools
Ancestor worship
Neanderthal
Cromagnon
Great Ice Age
Agricultural Revolution
River plains societies
Urban Revolution
Debate over evolution
Prof. Fitzgibbons
Epistemology
Debate:
Literalist
vs.
Symbolic
Catholic teaching?
Humani Generis (1950)
Humani Generis (1950)
...the Teaching Authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of
human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions, on the part of men experienced in both
fields, take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the
human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter—for the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that
souls are immediately created by God. However this must be done in such a way that the reasons for
both opinions, that is, those favorable and those unfavorable to evolution, be weighed and judged with
the necessary seriousness, moderation and measure, and provided that all are prepared to submit to
the judgment of the Church, to whom Christ has given the mission of interpreting authentically the
Sacred Scriptures and of defending the dogmas of faithful.
-Pius XII, Enc. Humani Generis, 36.
Pope John Paul II on
science and religion
(speech to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 1979)
“We cannot but deplore certain attitudes which have existed among Christians themselves,
insufficiently attentive to the legitimate autonomy of science. Sources of tensions and conflicts, they
have lead many minds to conclude that faith and science are mutually opposed.” (1979)
Further statement (on science and religion in general): Fides et Ratio (1998)
Pope John Paul II on evolution (1996)
“Today, more than a half-century after the appearance of [Pius XII’s Humani Generis], some new findings
lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than an hypothesis.”
Early hominids
“Lucy”
Approx. 3 million years ago
Recent discovery
Ethiopia- “Ardi”
c. 4.4 million years ago
Concurrent types of hominids
II) Paleolithic Age
Paleolithic Peoples
2.5m years BC- 10,000 BC
“Old” + “stone”
Discovery of fire- c. 500,000 BC
Hunter/gatherer communities
- followed herds
- 20-30 individuals
Moved from Africa to Europe and Asia
Stressful life
Paleolithic Shelters
Paleolithic Era Inhabitants
Homo sapiens- approx. 200,000 BC
- 2 types
#1- Neanderthals
- 100,000 BC - 40,000 BC
- similar practices
- early language
- hiactic bones
- tools and graves?
- “ancestor worship”
Neanderthal burial
Cave Paintings
Paleolithic Era Inhabitants
Homo sapiens- approx. 200,000 BC
- 2 types
#1- Neanderthals
- 100,000 BC - 40,000 BC
- similar settlement patterns,practices
- early spoken language
- early religion- “ancestor worship”
#2 Cromagnon (homo sapiens sapiens)c. 250,000- 10,000 BC
- one-armed skeleton (adult male)
-meaning?
III) Neolithic Age
Neolithic Changes
Began after the end of the Great Ice Age (40,000- 10,000 BC)
Food moved north
Mild and damp climates
Revolution #1:
Agricultural Revolution
1st Major change:
Agricultural Revolution
- 7,000 or 8,000 years BC
- domestication
- gamble
- payoff
Neolithic creations
Neolithic burial
Urban Revolution
Earliest (?)- Satal Huyuk (Catal Hüyük)- c. 7000 BC
Around 6,000 residents
Agricultural Revolution:
Locations
5 possible sites (concurrent)
“Civilization” and the Urban Revolution:
4 basic components
Political
- irrigation→
organization
Religious
- elemental gods
Economic/social
- surplus
- specialization
Cultural
- pictographs