Topic: The Earliest Human Societies
Name:
Unit 2
Chapter: 1
Pages: 4 - 20
Date: 11/26/12
Period:
My Own
Summary
Important Details of
The Earliest Human
Societies
I. Understanding the Past
People study the
past by using
primary and
secondary
sources, and they
can change the
way they
understand
history with new
information.
Why Study History?

We study history to learn
how to affect the future,
as well as about human
nature
Primary and Secondary
Sources

A primary source is
information created at the
time of an event, while a
secondary source is
created long after the
event happened.
Why History Changes

Historians can use
different evidence or have
different conclusions from
the same information
Early humans had
to adapt to the
environment by
being hunters and
gatherers, and
they had to move
a lot to follow
their food
source.
II. Early Humans Were HunterGatherers
Adapting to the
Environment

Early humans depended on
nature for their food and
shelter. Women gathered
berries and men hunted
Early Humans on the Move

Humans migrated and were
nomadic because they
needed to get animals to
eat.
III.
Developing Tools and
Culture
The Development of
Humans created
tools then
discovered fire,
and finally
started to build
a complete
culture.
Technology

2 million years ago
humans started to make
stone tools to hunt and
make shelters easier.
They made drills, axes and
cutters.
The Use of Fire

½ million years ago
humans used fire to cook,
heat and light their area,
as well as protect against
animals and make tools
stronger.
Early Human Culture

Humans started culture by
having art, language and
religion.
IV. The Beginnings of
As temperatures
got warmer,
people could
settle down in
one place and
control plants
and animals
(domestication).
Agriculture
Climate Changes

Increased temperatures on
the planet meant that
humans moved to new places
and could stay in one
place because the growing
season was longer and they
had food.
The Domestication of
Animals

They figured out how to
tame and control animals
by observing them for long
periods of time.
9000 BCE
The Agricultural
Revolution

Humans understood how to
farm to by controlling
seeds and plants starting
around 8000 BCE.
This
also led to even more
tools (technology).
Topic: The First Communities
Name:
Chapter: 1
Pages: 4 - 20
Date: 11/26/12
Period:
My Own
Summary
Important Facts of
The First Communities
I. Settlements Begin
Farming Villages Develop
People stayed
in one place
because it had
good places to
farm, and this
led to surplus
of food and
supplies,
which then led
to
specialization.
Worldwide

Farming started where there
were bodies of water and
fertile soil, but there were
advantages (lots of food) and
disadvantages (disease) to
living in villages
Surpluses Boost Development

As farming improved,
surplus (extra) food was
created.
There were also
surplus materials and this
allowed the village to have
more people.
People Develop Different
Skills

Since there was a surplus,
people didn’t all need to
farm.
This allowed for
specialization, or people
having different jobs.
II. Simple Villages Grow More
Villages got
more complex
because
people began
to trade and
specialize
their work.
Catal Huyuk
is an
example of
one such
village.
Complex
A Changing Way of Life

Extra food and supplies
meant people could grow their
families (pop increase) and
also trade, have social
classes and start government.
Life in Complex Villages

Complex villages were those
that had thousands of people
(inhabitants)
Catal Huyuk

It is an example of a complex
village, in Turkey, 9,000
years old.