PREHISTORIC PEOPLE

INTRODUCTION - TIME

• To record time, the passage of years, we need a 0 point.

• In our culture, we use the birth of Christ as the 0 point. (There is no year 0)

• Other cultures have used events important to them: – Romans: the founding of the city of Rome– Greeks: the first Olympic games– Islamic culture: the time when Muhammad left

Mecca and went to Medina.

B.C.=B.C.E. A.D.=C.E.

B.C. stands for “before Christ”.

B.C.E. stands for “before common era” and it is equivalent to B.C. (just without the religious reference)

A.D. stands for Anno Domini-in the year of our lord.

C.E. stands for “common era” and is equivalent to A.D.

EXPLORING PREHISTORY

Hominids: group that includes humans as well as earlier human-like creatures

Paleo-anthropologists Study the remains of hominid skeletons

Determine what early hominids looked like & how lived Artifacts: Things made and used by hominids:

ArcheologistsStudy artifacts, objects made & used by hominids

Learn about ancient people & their cultures

Culture

is the beliefs, knowledge and the way of life developed by a group of people.

Human Ancestors

• The earliest known hominids lived in Africa. The earliest hominid bones are about 6 million years old, but not much is known about the very early examples.

Human Ancestors- Ardipithecus• Ardipithecus: appeared about

4.4 million years ago; – lived in Africa (Ethiopia),

nicknamed “Ardi”. – Walked upright on the ground, but

on “all fours” in trees. – About 3 ½ feet tall; ate mostly

fruits & nuts. – Discovered in 1994, but the study

was completed & published in 2009.

Human Ancestors• Australopithecus:

appeared about 4 million years ago– Lived in Africa

(Ethiopia) – Walked upright;

had a larger brain than “Ardi”,

– about 3 ½ feet tall; Ate nuts, roots, other wild plants

“Lucy”• Early hominid skeleton found in

Hadar, Ethiopia by Donald Johansson

• Named “Lucy” after a Beatles song• “Lucy” is an example of

Australopithecus. This individual lived about 3.2 million years old

• One of the most complete early skeletons, about 40% complete

” Homo Habilis • Homo Habilis (“handy man”) about 2 ½ million yr. ago

– Lived in Africa; about 4 feet tall, larger brain that Australopithecus.

– One of the first hominid who made stone tools.

– The appearance of stone tools marks the beginning of the Paleolithic era.

HOMO ERECTUS

– Homo Erectus (“upright man”) about 1 ½ million years ago

– Larger in size, about 5 feet tall, larger brain than Homo Habilis.

– Hunted for food, as well as gathered wild plants

– Used and made fire– Migrated and spread from

Africa into Asia.

NEANDERTHAL

• Neanderthals (Homo Neanderthalensis) emerged about 200,000 years ago. – Lived about 200,000-35,000 yr. ago.

This group died out. – Wore animal skins; cooked their food;

buried their dead with grave gifts & flowers (may have had a belief in life after death)

– Heavier bodies than later Homo Sapiens

– Apparently interbred with Homo Sapiens, and eventually died out as a separate species.

– Many people whose ancestors came from Europe or Asia have a small amount of Neanderthal ancestry.

HOMO SAPIENS

• Homo Sapiens appeared between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago.

• Overlapped with Neanderthal. • One early type of Homo Sapiens is sometimes called

Cro-Magnon-– Belonged to Homo Sapiens (our genus and species) – The term “Cro-Magnon” isn’t used much any more. Today we

usually just call these humans “Homo Sapiens”. – Appeared about 35,000 years ago; essentially like modern

humans– For a few thousand years, they over-lapped with Neanderthals. – Had better tools & weapons– Created beautiful cave art

SEVERAL TYPES OF VIEWS about the origin of HUMANITY

• CREATIONISM: God created humans and all species just are they are today. They have not changed.

• SCIENTIFIC EVOLUTION: Humans and other species evolved naturally, without a creator.

• DEISTIC or THEISTIC EVOLUTION: Humans and other species evolved as scientists believe they did, but the process was guided by God.

Ice Ages • While humans were evolving, there were

periods of colder climate and increased ice. A period like this is called an “ice age”, and they have occurred many times in the history of the earth

Several times within the last 1.7 million years, ice has covered much of the earth. During these periods of ice, sea levels dropped and land was exposed in places, making it easier for people and animals to migrate over these land bridges.

ICE AGE• The last ice age “peaked” about 20,000

years ago. • During these periods of ice, sea levels

dropped and land was exposed in places, making it easier for people and animals to migrate over these land bridges.

3 early ages of humans

• Paleolithic age-old stone age (2 ½ million yr. ago – 12,000 yr. ago)

• Mesolithic age- middle stone age (12,000 yr. ago -10,000 yr. ago)

• Neolithic age-new stone age (10,000 yr. ago-4,000 yr. ago)

3 early ages: PALEOLITHIC AGE

• About 2 ½ million years ago to about 12,000 years ago (about 10,000BC)

• Old Stone Age: “Paleo” means “old”; “lithic” means “stone”

• People: – Used stone tools, such as spears with a stone point. – Were nomadic; Were hunter-gatherers– Lived in small groups– Lived in caves or very simple shelters. – Eventually spread through most parts of the world

Paleolithic “house” of mammoth bones

3 early ages: Mesolithic Age

• About 12,000 years ago (about10,000BC) to about 10,000 years ago (about 8,000BC)

• Middle Stone Age. “meso”-middle. • More sophisticated tools and weapons

– Bow and arrow– Fishhooks (made of bone)– Harpoons (bone and antler)

• Tamed the dog (first domesticated animal)• Used dugout canoes to fish in deeper water

NEOLITHIC AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION!!!!!

• About 10,000 years ago, or 8,000BC, somewhere in the Middle East, northern Iraq or southern Turkey

• Made the discovery that plants grow from seeds and began to plant crops, the first farming!

• Began to herd animals, in addition to hunting. • The changed from food gathering to food

producing is called the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution

• This radically changed human culture!!!

Neolithic Age• About 10,000 years ago (8,000BC) to

about 4,000 years ago (2,000BC).

• Farming (raising crops & herding animals): – Wheat, barley, rice, millet– Sheep, goats, cattle– Eventually used the plow & simple fertilizer

• Better tools including points produced by polishing & grinding.

• People stopped being nomadic& settled in villages, towns, and eventually, cities

Early towns & cities

• Jericho, west bank of the Jordan River, about 8000BC

• Jarmo, present day Iraq, about 6500 BC

• Catalhuyuk, in southern Turkey, about 6700BC.