ANSWERS
1. What is the difference between an Historian, Archaeologist, anthropologist and a
Geographer? (Explain what they do and what tools they use.)
- Historian- a person who studies and writes about the past. Tools: books, magnifying
glass, paper
- Archaeologist- studies artifacts to learn about the past. Tools: artifacts, magnifying
glass, notebook
-anthropologist- studies culture and human development. Tools: fossils, ancient tools,
duster, drill
-geographer- studies the world and its changes. Tools: map
2. How did Paleolithic people get their food compared to Neolithic people?
- Paleolithic people got their food by hunting and gathering. Neolithic people got
their food by farming and domesticating animals.
3. What change started the Neolithic Age?
- Agriculture (farming) started in the Neolithic Age.
4. What is the Fertile Crescent and why did many people settle there?
- the Fertile crescent is an area of rich farmland in Southwest Asia where the first
civilizations began. This area was important as it gave the farmers rich soil with silt and
yearly flooding.
5. What benefits did people have from farming and domesticating animals?
-People who farmed did not have to hunt for animals and berries and could
establish a permanent settlement.
6. Why did Neolithic people live together in larger groups compared to Paleolithic
people?
-Neolithic people live together in larger groups compared to Paleolithic people
because they had permanent settlements and a stable food supply to feed more than a
few people at a time.
7. What does “having a stable food supply” mean?
-Having a stable food supply means that food is generated regularly and people
do not run out of it.
8. What factors were most important for early humans to survive?
-Food, shelter, and fire were most important to early humans to survive
9. What would archaeologists look for if they were studying early human culture?
-Archaeologists would look for pottery to study CULTURE. This would give them
an idea of religion, language, and traditions that make up culture.
10. Why do archaeologists study fossils?
-Archaeologists study fossils to learn about the past
11. Why would hunters-gatherers have to migrate? Where would they migrate to?
-Hunters-gatherers would have to migrate because animals migrate and they
would have to find more animals and crops once the crops died or the animals moved.
They would travel wherever the animals traveled to.
12. What activities was a regular part of the lives of early hunter-gatherers?
-Hunting and picking berries and nuts
13. What type of art did early humans make first?
-cave paintings
14. What were Neolithic people able to do with their food that Paleolithic people could
not do?
-Neolithic people were able to cook their food whereas Paleolithic people could
not
15. Why were Paleolithic people nomadic?
- They had to find food and shelter. In order to do this, they had to travel to find
animals and caves and fruit.
16. Why were settlements difficult to spread in early civilizations?
-Geographic Obstacles such as mountains and rivers made it hard for early
civilizations to spread.
17. What were the main causes for the first interactions between ancient civilizations?
-Trading and warfare were the main interactions between ancient civilizations.
18. Why did early humans live near large river valleys?
-River valleys provided humans with rich, fertile soil to help grow crops. This was
also the area where animals would retreat to for food and water. The rivers also help
with trade.
19. How did dividing up the work help communities produce more to meet their needs?
-Each person could specialize in a skill. This would help the civilization because
they could get more work done in a shorter amount of time instead of relying on one
person to do all of the work.
20. What are the basic characteristics of a civilization?
-The basic characteristics of a civilization are surplus food supply, division of
labor (specialized skills), and social hierarchy.