Fitzgerald
Chapter 1 Beginnings of Human Society
Section 1 Geography and History
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Notes
Paragraph Main Idea
 Bulleted details for each paragraph
Understanding Writing divides history into two periods
History
 Prehistory – the period of time before
writing was invented*
 History – written and other recorded
events of people*
Prehistory:
To learn about prehistory, historians must rely on
Digging up the unwritten clues.
Past
 Archaeologists*
o Scientists*
o Who find and examine clues to
learn about prehistory*
 Example of clue* - stone spear points can
show what hunted
o Large, heavy point – bigger prey –
bear
o Small point – smaller prey – birds
and small animals
History: a
Historians study many things to learn about history
record in
 Written records
writing
o What other groups living at the
same tine wrote
o Written records of that society
 Clues archaeologists find
Record of the
Written records often began as oral traditions
Spoken Word
 Passed down by word of mouth
 Stories include
o Stories of parents, grandparents,
great-grandparents
o Stories of myths and heroes
Not all oral stories are historically accurate
Problems
 Mixed with personal beliefs*
 Change as told and retold*
 Exaggeration to make the story better*
But still, there are benefits
 Tell how people lived*
 Tell what people thought important*
Examples*– Robin Hood, Pecos Bill, King Arthur,
Johnny Appleseed
Additions
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Geography
and History
Historians have to study geography to study the
success of a culture*
 Study physical place*
o Climate*
o Landform*
o Water supply (fresh water)*
 Ex. – geography of Ancient Egypt
Without the Nile and its regular flooding, Egypt
would not have been so successful
 Flooded each year
 Deposited rich soil
 Grew enough to feed large numbers of
people
 Everyone didn’t have to farm