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The First People

The First People. Dating System. BC or BCE BC = Before Christ BCE = Before Common Era AD or CE AD = Anno Domini (what’s it mean?) CE = Common Era. How old is it?. Artifacts Archaeologists gather artifacts and other clues from dig site Carbon-14

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The First People

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  1. The First People

  2. Dating System • BC or BCE • BC = Before Christ • BCE = Before Common Era • AD or CE • AD = Anno Domini (what’s it mean?) • CE = Common Era

  3. How old is it? • Artifacts • Archaeologists gather artifacts and other clues from dig site • Carbon-14 • Carbon-14 is an element found in all living things • Once something dies, the organism stops producing carbon, and it decays • The amount of carbon left tells us how long ago the organism died

  4. Prehistory • Writing not developed until 5000 years ago (around 3000 BC) • Stories, drawings, and artifacts • Prehistory (Prehistoric Times) • Time before written records

  5. Prehistory • What happened in prehistoric times ???? • Archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians piece together clues to figure out what happened

  6. Hominids • Hominids • The “Great Apes” • Humans and their early ancestors • Ancestors • Relatives who lived in the past • Creation / Evolution / both? • You decide based on your beliefs

  7. Hominid Taxonomy • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Chordata • Class: Mammalia • Order: Primates • Family: Hominidae • Genus: Australopithecus / Homo • Species: (see the following slides)

  8. Australopithecus • Australopithecus • “Southern ape” • Africa 4-5 million years ago • Stood upright, walked on two legs • Brain 1/3 the size of modern humans • Australopithecus afarensis • “Lucy”

  9. Homo habilis • Homo habilis • “Handy man” • Africa 2.4 million years ago • Used early stone tools • Chopping and scraping • Brain ½ size of modern humans

  10. Homo erectus • Homo erectus • “Upright man” • Africa 2-1.5 million years ago • Used stone tools like hand ax • Learned to control fire • Migrated out of Africa to Asia and Europe

  11. Homo neanderthalensis • Homo neanderthalensis • “Neanderthal” • named for the Neander Valley, Germany, where first skull was found • Europe and Asia 350,000 years ago • Buried their dead • Developed language???

  12. Homo sapiens • Homo sapiens • “Wise man” • Africa 200,000 years ago • Migrated around the world • Modern humans • Controlled fire and more complicated tools • Developed language • Extremely important step

  13. The Stone Ages • Paleolithic Era • Old Stone Age • Paleo “old” / lithic “stone” • Mesolithic Era • Middle Stone Age • Meso “middle” / lithic “stone” • Neolithic Era • New Stone Age • Neo “new” / lithic “stone”

  14. Paleolithic Era • Beginning of humanity (4.5 million years ago) until about 10,000 BC (end of last ice age) • Sharpened stone tools • No developed agriculture • Hunter-gatherer societies • Hunter-gatherers • Hunted animals • Gathered plants, nuts, fruit • Societies • Shared common culture

  15. Mesolithic Era • About 10,000 BC to 5,000 BC • No developed agriculture • Used more complex tools • Hooks and spears for fishing • Bows and arrows for hunting • More complex societies • Migration over Bering Land Bridge after ice age  Beringia

  16. Neolithic Era • Began anywhere from 10,000 to 5,000 BC (depending on location) • The “Neolithic Revolution” • Development of agriculture • Agriculture • Farming  especially the “three sisters” • Domestication of plants and animals • Domestication • Taming wild plantsand animals for human use

  17. Neolithic Era • Very complex societies and tools • Specialization of skills • Lived in small “tribes”, ruled by a chief or a council of elders • Male-dominated groups

  18. Neolithic Era • Polytheistic • Worshipped nature • Built megaliths • “mega” = big / “liths” = stones • Like Stonehenge • For religion? For a calendar?

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