Early Humans and the Beginnings of Civilisation

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering human evolution, the Stone Age periods, and the rise of early civilisations.

Prehistory

The period of human past before the invention of writing when humans existed but did not record events in written form.

History

The study of the human past using written records, along with other archaeological sources like documents, inscriptions, and manuscripts.

Nomads

Early humans who were hunter-gatherers and moved from one place to another in search of food and water.

Australopithecus

One of the earliest human ancestors that could walk upright on two legs, freeing its hands for carrying food and using tools.

Homo habilis

Meaning "handy man," this was the first ancestor known to make simple stone tools for cutting meat and gathering food.

Homo erectus

An advanced human ancestor who discovered the use of fire to cook food, keep warm, and protect themselves from wild animals.

Homo sapiens

Modern humans who developed higher intelligence, better communication skills, complex social behavior, and expressed ideas through language and art.

Palaeolithic Period

A period where humans were nomadic hunter-gatherers, lived in caves, used animal skins for clothing, and created simple stone tools.

Ice Age (Pleistocene Period)

The Lower Palaeolithic Period when most parts of the Earth were covered with thick sheets of ice, making the climate extremely cold.

Middle Palaeolithic Tools

Stone tools such as scrapers and borers made from stone flakes, as well as needle-like tools used for sewing furs and skins.

Upper Palaeolithic Tools

Tools such as flint blades and projectile points used for hunting and skinning wild animals during a slightly warmer climate phase.

Mesolithic Period

The middle phase of the Stone Age and a transition phase between hunting-gathering and the beginning of farming and settled life.

Microliths

Small and sharp stone tools used during the Mesolithic Period, often attached to wooden or bone handles for hunting and fishing.

Neolithic Age

Also known as the New Stone Age, it was the stage when people shifted from a nomadic life to a settled life based on agriculture and animal domestication.

The Wheel

An important achievement of the Neolithic Age that improved transportation and led to the production of better storage pots through pottery.

Labour specialization

A development during the Neolithic Age where people took up different occupations such as farming, pottery making, weaving, and trade.

River Valley Civilisations

The earliest civilisations that developed along rivers like the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, Indus, and Yellow River due to fertile soil and water access.