CHAPTER 1 Ancient America

PRE 1492

Archaeology VS History

Archaeology- Studies Physical objects like bones, spears, jewelry, pots and baskets, graves and buildings.

Historians- study writing, like letters and diary entries, laws, newspapers, court cases and business ledgers.

Mexican Stone Tablet

What is Writing

Writing is defined as a system of symbols that record spoken language.

Writing originated from the people of China, Egypt, and central America about 8,000 years ago.

Is the Mexican Stone in the last slide considered a form of writing?

What is this picture called?What happened to this about 65 million years ago?

The First Americans

Where did the first humans in the Western Hemisphere emigrate from?

What land mass, now 350 ft below water did they cross?

What two factors made it possible for their journey?

What is the name given to these pioneers, and why is it given to them?

Paleo-Indian Hunters

Once the Siberians settled in North and South America they became know as the Paleo- Indian Hunters?

What was hunting like for these indians, what type of Animals did they hunt and how?

What major environmental change happened to these indians, and what was the drastic effect?

What is foraging? And how did it help after the environmental change?

Paleo-Indian Descendants

What are some of the major differences between the two? Different religious beliefs Dwellings Different rules of kinship and inheritance.

Why did these changes come about?

Explain the lives of these Different tribal areas.

Great Basin Cultures? Pacific Coast Cultures? Eastern Woodland cultures? Southwestern Cultures Arctic Cultures? Great Plains Cultures

HOW DID THESE ADAPT AS WE GET INTO THE 1490s?

Native American tribes around 1500Discuss What culture the tribe would fit in.

What famous Tribe created this Temple?

What rituals happened at this Temple?

The MEXICA/ AZTECS

Europeans named them AZTECS! Tenochtitlan was the capital. Worshiped the god “ Huitzilopochtli” What group led the social hierarchy? What did they do with prisoners? Who led that event, and what was it for? What is a tribute and how did it effect the

Mexica and its people? What is redistribution of wealth? How did the tribute help the European

Conqueror's?

AZTEC CALANDERWhat is the importance of this calendar?

Review Questions

Why do Historians rely on archaeologist to write the history of Ancient Americans?

How did the availability of food influence the migration of early Americans across the continent?

Why did Archaic Native Americans switch from big game hunting to foraging and small game hunting?