Chapter 1
The Earliest Human Societies
Section 2
The First Communities
Part I: Settlements Begin
Students will trace the impact of farming on the development of
settlements among early humans.
Introduction
1. Early humans will become better farmers as what
improves?
Tools improve
a.
As a result of becoming better farmers people could now…
Stay in one place
Develop larger (permanent) settlements/villages
Farming Villages Develop World Wide
2.
Define agriculture (again):
Cultivation of soil to produce crops
a.
Where do we see the first signs of agriculture?
Places that had a reliable water source
Define irrigation:
3.
Watering dry land by using ditches, pipes or streams
Define fertile:
4.
Good for plants to grow in
a.
How is irrigation and fertile connected?
Fertile and irrigated soil would produce bigger and better crops.
As the success of agriculture and farmers grew, what else grew?
5.
Population and villages
What were the advantages of village life?
6.
Food plentiful, withstand attacks, others???
a.
What were the disadvantages of village life?
Risks of fire, disease and flood
Surpluses Boost Development
7. Define surplus:
Amount produced in excess of what is needed
a.
How is surplus connected to advances to early human technology?
Surplus mean everyone did not need to be involved in the food
gathering/producing process. These people could spend their time “thinking”
and solving problems (developing technology to make like easier).
Define economy:
8.
9.
The system of production and distribution and consumption.
What enabled village economies to become more varied?
People developing special skills
10. Why were the “surpluses” important in the development of villages and
civilizations?
Surplus meant more time to learn new skills = making life easier
Surplus meant population could grow.
People Develop Different Skills
11. Why did many people no longer need to produce food?
Farmers could provide for the group (surplus)
Define specialization:
12.
Skill in one type of work
a.
Examples of specialization include:
Book: Potters, weavers, farmers
Modern: Electrician, carpenter, teacher, doctor, lawyer, others????
Potters were important because…
Made vessels for carrying and storing water and food
Weavers were important because…
Made cloth for clothing, blankets, and coverings
What is flax?
Plant used to make linen (cloth)
13. What is a shaman?
A holy person
Why were shamen important to early humans?
a.
Interpreted natural events (rain, fire, good/bad harvest, death) and were seen
as healers
The unexplainable!!!!
14. How did village life differ from life as a hunter-
gatherer?
Hunter-Gathers: nomadic, struggle for food and shelter
(survival), limited technology and understanding of the
world
Village Life: settled, surpluses and man made (permanent)
shelters, specialization (expanding technology) = greater
understanding of the world
Wrap-up:
Answer the wrap-up question in 3-5 sentences.
Explain how farming changed the way that early humans lived.
Farming allowed people to control their environment and make their
own food.
Farming improved as irrigation developed.
Irrigation and fertile soil lead to bigger and better crops, leading to a
surplus (extra).
A surplus meant that a village or group could now feed more people
(population and village size grew).
Surpluses meant that not all people had to be involved in the food
gathering/producing process.
People could begin to specialize or develop other important skills aimed at
improving life in the village.
Less time spent in the food gathering/producing process meant that
people had more time to think; this enabled new technologies to be
developed (make life easier) and more questions about the world to be
asked.