Geography & History

Including Pre-history & Civilizations

Geography & HistoryGeography is the study of people, their environments, and the resources available to them.History uses written evidence to tell us how people lived in the past.Today, historians study such evidence as photographs, film, & written documents such as letters and tax records. (Primary Sources)

Place

Five Themes of Geography

Region

The Human Story

Human-environment

interactionLocation

Movement

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Anthropology & Archaeology

Anthropology is the study of the origins and development of people and their societies. Some anthropologists study the origins of human life. Others focus on the variety of human cultures.

Archaeology is a specialized branch of anthropology.

Anthropology & Archaeology

Archaeologists study artifacts, objects made by human beings. By analyzing artifacts, archaeologists learn about the beliefs, values, and activities of early people.

Skeletal remains at an archaeological site.

The age of artifacts can be determined by measuring the amount of radioactive element remaining in the artifact.

Artifacts are objects left by earlier peoples.

made simple tools and weapons out of stone, bone, or wood;

developed a spoken language;

invented clothing;

used caves and rocky overhangs for shelter;

learned to build fires for warmth and cooking.

Old Stone Age = people lived as nomads, in small hunting and food gathering groups.

The Dawn of HistoryThe Dawn of History2

Paleolithic Age

The Dawn of HistoryThe Dawn of History2

Land bridges permitted movement from Asia into the Americas.

The Ice Ages cut the land bridges, leaving water in the cuts and cutting off movement.

The Dawn of HistoryThe Dawn of History2

The Dawn of HistoryThe Dawn of History2

Early Spiritual beliefs

Animism =belief that the world Is full of spirits & forces that reside in animals, objects, or dreams. (Cave paintings)

Stone statues of pregnant women = worshiped earth-mother goddesses.

Early people began burying their dead with care, suggesting a belief in life after death. Buried with tools & weapons for the afterlife.

The Dawn of HistoryThe Dawn of History2

The change from nomadic to farming life led to changes in the way people lived and to the emergence of civilizations.

Neolithic Revolution

PEOPLE BEFORE PEOPLE AFTER

Learned to farm and were able to produce their own food.

Settled into permanent villages.

Learned to domesticate, or tame, animals.

Relied on hunting and gathering.

Nomads lived in small hunting and food-gathering groups.

Waited for migrating animals to return each year.

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Economy• Hunters and gatherers• Nomadic

Developments• Simple tools and weapons• Spoken language• Use of fire• Burial of dead• Belief in afterlife• Creation of cave paintings

Economy• Work as farmers• Live in permanent villages• Use domesticated animals

Developments• Population growth• Community interaction• Decline in status of women• Personal possessions• Development of calendar

Economy• Artisans• Merchants• Soldiers• Government workers

Developments• Rise of cities• Organized governments• Job specialization• Growth of social classes• System of writing• Trade• Social classes• Complex religion

The First People

The development of agriculture occurred at various times in different parts of the world.

Farmers began cultivating lands along river valleys

and producing surplus, or extra, food.

Surpluses helped populations expand.

As populations grew, some villages swelled into cities.

Basic Features of Civilizations3

8. Writing

7. Public works

6. Arts and architecture

5. Social classes

4. Job specialization

3. Complex religions

2. Central governments1. Cities

A civilization is a complex, highly organized social order. Historians distinguish eight basic features found in most early civilizations:

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Basic Features of CivilizationsBasic Features of Civilizations

*Culture is a people’s way of life and includes their diet, religious beliefs, artistic achievements and language.

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Civilizations spread when ancient rulers gained more power & conquered territories beyond the boundaries of their cities.

Powerful rulers created city-states & empires.

Civilizations change when the physical environment changes.

Civilizations Spread & Change3

An empire is a group of states or territories controlled by one ruler.

City-state included a city &its surrounding lands &villages.

Ex: A tremendous volcano may have wiped out Minoan civilization.

*Cultural diffusion = spread of ideas, customs, & technologies from one people to another. Cultural diffusion occurred through migration, trade, & warfare.