Chapter 1 review

5 Themes of AP World History

Bellringer 9/10/14

• Why did the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution happen so late in history? Why did it happen when it did? (use dates)

250,000-10,000 BCE (95% of human history)

Artisitc: jewelry, sculpture, cave artBenefitted from last

ice age: 20,000 bce land/ice bridges

1st societies: cultural/econ networks; small egalitarian bands (25-50)

Seasonally nomadic: some settlements

Technology: spears, bow/arrow baskets, needles, pottery

Settled the planet: out of Africa to New Zealand (first boats for Australia)

Paleolithic Man 1st to reflect on life & death (burials) (variations)

Began the transition to settled society

Countries in Austronesia

Why should we pay attention to human history pre-civilization? (Ex: before ancient Egypt, China etc.)

1) Before the emergence of civilization, humans spread across the globe, successfully settling almost every habitable region on the planet. 2) They created the first human societies. 3) They began to reflect on the great questions of life and death. 4) They **transitioned to agriculture, arguably the single most profound transformation of human life in all of history. 5) The changes that Paleolithic and Neolithic humans wrought provided the foundation on which all subsequent human history was constructed. 6) 95% of human history occurred during the Paleolithic era

** Paleolithic people did not develop agriculture. Neolithic (new stone) people developed agriculture around 10,000 BCE.

Considering they did not have writing, how do we know about them? What kind of record did they leave?

• a) About 100,000 years ago they (Homo Sapiens) left Africa (had to walk upright; skeletons show) (use boats later on)

• b) Settled the planet in ALL environments (use fire for warmth, cooking, build shelters, clothing/needles)

• c) Created the 1st human societies (had to have language; skull remains indicate language)

• d) First religious, artistic, cultural societies: Burials, cave paintings, jewelry (passed knowledge down; humans learn from each other)

• e) Used stone and bone tools: spears, bow & arrow (i.e. paleolithic)

• f) Hunting, gathering, fishing; not just scavenging (hooks, baskets, nets, pottery)

What were their societies like?

• Nomadic: followed plants and animals, seasonally• Small bands of nomads 20-25; they didn’t have the tech or

surplus to provide for bigger group. Did not accumulate much because they were frequently on the move.

• Worldwide small human population: 100,000 years ago there were as few as 10,000 people. 10,000 years ago we reached 6 million. Today, 7 billion.

• Highly egalitarian (most free?) no hierarchy: kings, soldiers, priests (did have shamans)

• People all had similar skills women did bulk of labor collecting/gathering.

1. Interaction between humans and the environmentDemography and disease

MigrationPatterns of settlement

Technology

Demography: (size and distribution of populations)

 

a.  very slow population growth b. perhaps 10,000 people in world 100,000 years ago c. grew to 500,000 by 30,000 years ago d. reached 6 million 10,000 years agoWhat else do we know about their distribution? Answer: We know that they traveled and lived in small groups of around 20-25 people. Where and when they traveled depended on available technology (Ex.Pacific =later, but quickly due to boats)

Migration: the Paleolithic (old stone age) is when Homo Sapiens traversed the globe, into new (all types) of environments. They were nomadic with seasonal patterns of temporary settlement. They followed the animals they depended on (mammoths, large bison). (Technology helps?How did environmental change affect their trajectory (path)?Answer: Ice Age created land bridges. Tech helps them adapt to and exploit new environments. With the warming at the end of the ice age, new flora/fauna=population growth=settled life.

2. Development and interaction of culturesReligions

Belief systems, philosophies & ideologiesScience & technology

The arts and architecture

• Are there signs of cultural development amongst paleolithic humankind? If so, is there any evidence that cultures interacted and adopted these practices? (Cultural Diffusion)

• Yes. Use of language helps develop and spread culture. At the end of the paleolithic era, culture becomes more important than biology in the survival of the species. A) Religion: burial sites and ceremonial sites (deep in caves). Dreamtime in Australia. Were Venus figures used as part of fertility rituals? Evidence of trade in drugs (possibly for rituals). B) Science/tech: weapons (Ex. Clovis) fishing hooks, needles, weaving, nets, baskets, pottery all found throughout Europe. Boats led to the interaction of peoples. C) Art: carved figurines, cave paintings throughout the world. Body ornaments, beads, jewelry =culture, art and technology.

3. State-building, expansion and conflictPolitical structures and forms of governance

EmpiresNations and nationalismRevolts and revolutions

Regional, transregional and global structures and organizations

• Did paleolithic man have a form of governance?

• It is surmised that they had rules governing the distribution of meat, rules about incest and adultery. Leaders may have arose to organize hunts (unknown). No formal political structures are known of.

4. Creation, expansion and interaction of economic systemsAgricultural and pastoral production

Trade and commerceLabor systems

IndustrializationCapitalism and socialism

• Evidence of similar tool use/advancements could be evidence of trade. Clovis culture across N. America is a good exmaple.

• Agricultural production begins at the end of the paleolithic era (10,000 B.C.E.). It developed slowly and differently in various environments (Diamond). Food “production” or agriculture begins with the Neolithic (new stone age) with literally new stone tools.

• Is there evidence that labor systems were created during paleolithic times? Yes, men hunted and women gathered.

5. Development and transformation of social structuresGender roles and relations

Family and kinshipRacial and ethnic constructions

Social and economic classes

• Egalitarian due to labor being equal between men and women. There were no specialists (division of labor). After the neolithic agricultural revolution this changes dramatically.

• There were no specialists (no division of labor). • The social structure would have been a close-knit tribe (like an

extended family). Closer to 10,000 B.C.E. evidence of chiefdoms, more of a power structure.

• Cave art =evidence of kinship and possibly a social hierarchy if only certain members (men?) were allowed into ceremonies.

Neolithic Agricultural Revolution

• On the next slide, you will see a region of the world. With your group, bullet-point all that you can recall (without looking at your notes) about how agriculture developed in this region. Is there anything distinctive about development in this region?

The Pacific

• The peoples that migrated here around 1500 B.C.E. brought domesticated plants with them in their canoes.

• They also ruined much of the natural habitat of the areas they came to inhabit. Easter Island is a good example.

• They created a highly stratified (hierarchy) society with a chief, not egalitarian.

• Australia did not begin agriculture even though nearby New Guinea had begun agriculture. So, they remained hunter-gatherers until Europeans arrived in the 1800s.

The Americas

• As in Africa, domestication occurred separately in a number of places.

• The N/S orientation. (Diff vegetation and climate zones.)• The most distinctive feature is the lack of animals that could be

domesticated. Only 1=llama• Therefore, they relied heavily on hunting and gathering.• They also lacked rich, cereal grains. They did have maize/corn

which had been domesticated since 4-3,000 B.C.E. Due to the lack of nutritional value, they supplemented with beans/squash.

Southwest Asia (Fertile Crescent)

• This is where the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution began. WHY??

• What modern day countries make up this area?• Iraq, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Turkey• What environmental change is believed to have triggered the

transition to agriculture?• Around 10,000 B.C.E. there was a cold “snap” within the warming

period. People may have felt threatened and put more effort into food production.

• What evidence do we have of the transition to agriculture?• Large settlements with sun-dried bricks, more sophisticated tools.

Also some settlements were abandoned due to deterioration from overuse of the land.

Africa

• What’s distinctive? It happened in an area that is now part of the Sahara, Sudan (then it was grassland)

• Most important: Animals were domesticated before plants. Specifically, cattle were domesticated here earlier than in the Fertile Crescent. Cattle domestication spread from Africa to the M.E. The domestication of goats and sheep went the other direction (M.E. to Africa).

• Farming in Africa was scattered throughout the continent. The domestication of sorghum, gourds, millet and the donkey all spread from Africa to Europe.