Unit 1: Introduction to World
History
Chapter 1: Explores the major tools and
skills that scholars and students use to
understand the world and its history.
Chapter 2: Explores significant events in the
development of the earliest human
societies.
The Earliest Human
Societies
Chapter 2
Hunters and Gatherers: Chapter 2 – Lesson 1
Hunter – gatherer: human beings who
hunt animals and gather plants for food.
Hunter-gatherers would move to a new
location when they no longer had enough to
eat.
Caves and Rock Shelters
Hunter-gatherers
depended on the
natural environment
for shelter.
Examples: caves and
rock shelters
If the hunter-gatherer
lived in the desert
they made houses
out of branches,
plant fibers and
animal skin.
Nomads Migrate
Nomads: hunter-gatherers who move from place to
place, never staying in one area for long.
Migration: a movement from one region or country to
settle in another.
By around 15,000 B.C. hunter-gatherers had migrated
throughout much of the world.
Use of Fire
About 500,000 years ago, early humans learned to
make and control fire.
Uses: Heat, Light, Cooking Food
**A good fire also offered protection from animals
and heat to harden tools.
The Development of Technology
2 million years ago, people made stone tools
for cutting.
In time, more advanced tools were made.
Examples: Bow and arrows,
spearheads, and metal tools
*Technology (these new tools)
gave humans more control
over their environment.
Language
Human language probably developed as a
result of the need for people to work
together.
Examples: to outsmart, trap and kill
animals for food
Religion
Religion: the worship of God, gods or spirits.
Some archaeologists believe that early cave paintings of
animals were made to honor the spirits of animals
killed for food.
Prehistoric Art
Prehistoric Art gives us an idea of the daily life
of early humans and their beliefs.
Cave Paintings thousands of years old show lively
images of bulls, stallions, and bison.
Learning to Farm and Raise Animals
Chapter 2, Lesson 2
By around 8,000 B.C., early humans learned
to change the environment by growing
plants and raising animals.
Climate Changes
Global warming resulted in the retreat of the Ice
Age glaciers.
Due to this, early humans could move into new
areas, growing seasons became longer, humans
and animals had more grain to eat.
The Agricultural Revolution
Around 8,000 B.C. people got the idea of
agriculture or the planting of seeds to raise crops.
Agricultural Revolution is the name given to the
change from food gathering to food raising.
New tools were used:
► Hoes to loosen the soil
► Sticks to dig holes
► Sickles to harvest grain
Settlement Begins
Fertile soil produced bigger and better crops. This
attracted farmers to stay in one area and develop
permanent settlements.
Several thousand people lived in villages.
Shelters were made of:
► mud
► brick
► logs
► hides
Farming Develops in Many Places
African farmers along the Nile were among
the first to use irrigation.
This allowed plants to be watered by building
dikes and canals.
The First Communities
Chapter 2, Lesson 3
As agricultural techniques improved, farmers
sometimes produced surpluses – more than what
they needed to survive.
Examples:
► Farmers might grow more grain than their
families or villages could use.
► Sheep raisers may have had surplus wool.
*Surpluses of food and other materials in good
seasons helped villages survive bad season.
Specialized Jobs
A specialization is a skill in one kind of work.
In a village you would find:
Potter: made objects for carrying water or food
Weavers: created cloth from spun cotton, wool, and
flax (a plant from which linen is made)
Holy People / Shamans: interpreted natural
events such as rain or fire, explained the meaning
of good and bad harvest and were healers.
Weaver
Pottery
Shaman
Simple Villages Grow More Complex
Trade, specialized jobs and government all
began to form.
► Social classes: a group of people with
similar customs, backgrounds, trainings,
and income began to develop
Example:
- farmers
- Potters, weavers, holy men
Catal Huyuk had a
population of about
5,000 people.
► Agriculture developed
fairly early.
► Bones of water birds
found in Catal Huyuk
suggest villages were
built in marshy areas.
► Houses had floor
plans
► Some buildings served
as shrines, where
religious ceremonies
took place
Catal Huyuk- Turkey
Complex Village