Humanities - Deep Time History Year 7

History

The study of the past. It helps us understand people, places, and events. It explains how the world has changed over time.

What historians do

Study written records and sources about the past. They use books, letters, photos, and documents.

What Archaeologists do

They dig up artefacts, and study them to learn about the past. They use clues to understand how people lived.

Chronology

The study of time and the order in which events happened.

Timeline

Graphical representation of chronology

BCE

Before Common Era

BC

Before Christ

CE

Common Era

AD

Anno Domini (The Year of our lord)

Decade

10 years

Century

100 years

Millennium

1000 years

Evolution

The process of living things adapting over time due to changes in their environment and survival needs.

Where humans originated

Africa, approximately 200,000 to 300,000 years ago

Scientific name for modern humans

Homo sapiens

COMA

Content, Origin, Message, Audience

Primary Source

A piece of evidence created by someone at the time of the event being studied.

Primary source examples

Letters, diaries, government records, autobiographies, artefacts

Secondary Source

Information created by someone who was not present at an event. The source was created after an event happened

Secondary source examples

Textbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases

Benefits of primary sources

Specific details, unique insights

Benefits of secondary sources

Not direct or immediate, easy to access

Limitations of primary sources

Only one side of the story (bias), rare or hard to access.

Limitations of secondary sources

Not direct or immediate evidence, author may misinterpret information

BP

Before Present. Present is fixed at the year 1950.

Ka

Kilo-annum, 1000 years ago.

Ma

Mega-annum, 1 million years ago

Two main dating types

Relative dating - compares items to each other, and absolute dating - gives an actual age

Relative dating

If something is older or younger than another object

Absolute dating

Gives a specific age in years

Relative dating techniques

Typology, Stratigraphy, fluorine dating

Absolute dating techniques

Radiocarbon dating, thermoluminescence, argon dating, dendrochronology, OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence)

Typology

Relative dating technique. Estimates age by comparing items (like tools or pottery) to similar ones

Stratigraphy

Relative dating technique. Examines the layers of the earth. Deeper layers = older artefacts.

Fluorine dating

Relative dating technique. Measures fluorine, material such as bones absorb more fluorine the longer they’re buried

Radiocarbon dating

Absolute dating technique. Measures carbon 14 levels on once-living things (like bones or wood)

Thermoluminescence

Absolute dating technique. Measures light or radiation released from heated pottery or crystals

Argon dating

Absolute dating technique. Measures argon gas in volcanic rock.

Dendrochronology

Absolute dating technique. Counts tree rings to find age.

OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence)

Absolute dating technique. Measures sunlight exposure in sand grains.

Reason why dating is important

Helps place events and people in a timeline. Reveals when early humans migrated or used tools. Improves accuracy and supports evolution theories.

Benefits of Typology

Quick and easy comparison with known artefacts; useful for cultural analysis

Limitations of typology

Not precise; relies on finding similar items; subjective

Benefits of stratigraphy

Useful for dating layers of earth and artefact in relative order; simple and low cost

Limitations of stratigraphy

Only gives relative age; can be affected by disturbances in soil layers

Benefits of fluorine dating

Helps estimate burial time of bones; non-destructive

Limitations of fluorine dating

Only works on bones / fluorine levels vary on soil conditions

Benefits on radiocarbon dating

Can provide precise ages for organic remains up to 50000 years old.

Limitations of radiocarbon dating

Only works on organic material

Destroys the test piece

Not accurate beyond 50,000 years

Benefits for Dendrochronology

Very accurate for dating wooden objects. / Shows exact year.

Limitations of Dendrochronology

Only works on trees from specific regions. / Can’t date non-wood items

Benefits of Thermoluminescence Dating

Useful for dating pottery or burnt stone. / Works beyond radiocarbon limits

Limitations of Thermoluminescence Dating

Requires heating. / Only works on certain materials like ceramics.

Benefits of argon dating

Useful for very old samples (millions of years).

Accurate for volcanic layers

Limitations of argon dating

Only works on volcanic rock. / Needs special equipment.

Benefits of OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence)

Good for dating sediments and buried artefacts beyond 50,000 years,

Limitations of OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence)

Requires specific minerals. / Only useful in certain conditions

Deep Time

The period between the peopling of Australia [65000 BP] and British arrival [1788].

Pleistocene period

Dates older than 10,000 BP up to 2.58 Ma.

Colder climate and lower sea levels.

Due to a lack of well-preserved artefacts, scientists only have a limited knowledge about this time.

Australia is a larger continent known as Sahul.

Holocene Period

Between 10,000BO and 1788CE(and present day).

Warmer climate and higher sea levels.

Scientists have a deeper understanding a life in this time.

New Guinea and Tasmania separated from mainland Australia about 8000-10000 years ago

When did First Peoples arrive in Australia?

Approximately 65000 years ago

Megafauna

Giant species that were much larger than animals alive today.

Lived during the Pleistocene epoch (2.6 million - 11,700 years ago).

Natural Climate Cycle

A pattern of changes in the Earth’s climate that happens over a very long time, without being caused by humans.

These cycles happened because of natural events like changes in the Earth’s orbit, volcanic eruptions, or shifts in ocean currents.

When was the last Ice Age?

Roughly 90,000 years ago. Earth was colder, drier.

Sea levels dropped and winds were stronger.

Sea levels were lower because the water was frozen in ice sheets.

This allowed a land bridge to form between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

80% of Australia became uninhabitable and people moved to the coast for water and food.

Fire Stick Farming

Clear undergrowth

Attract animals like kangaroos

Start seed growth

Reduce bushfire fuel

Aquaculture

Channelling and storing water to ensure a consistent and abundant supply of fish and shellfish by using dams, weirs, and fish traps.

Kinship

A family and community system and guides relationships and responsibilities.

The system organises communities to make sure everyone knows their relationships and shared responsibilities.

While the rules vary across the different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups, caring for their community as a family is always very important.

Country

The land, water, sky, and all living things.

Deeply connected to identity and spirit

Totem

A plant, animal, or natural object that connects a person to Country

Each person has emblems or totems that represent their nation, clan and family group, as well as a personal totem.

Totems link a person to their Country – its landforms, air, water and living creatures.

Every Indigenous person has a responsibility to protect their totems and pass them on to the next generation

Clan

A group of people from the same ancestor, often linked to the same Country or totem

Elder

A respected community member who holds and shares cultural knowledge

A person becomes an Elder by earning respect and authority in a community.

It is an Elder’s duty to instil a respect for the land and culture in community members by teaching young people about their natural environment and sharing knowledge about the Dreaming.

Lore

Traditional rules and customs passed down through generations

Reciprocity

The idea of giving and sharing fairly within the community

Mother (in Kinship Terms)

Your birth mother and your mother’s sisters

Father (in Kinship Terms)

Your birth father and your father’s brothers

Brother and Sister (in Kinship Terms)

Term for siblings and the children of your mother’s sister and father’s brother.

Aunty and Uncle (in Kinship Terms)

Your father’s sisters and mother’s brothers.

Also used to address people who you might not be related to.

Cousin

Refers to children of your father’s sisters and your mother’s brother.

The term ‘cousin’ can be extended to any relative of your generation who might share the same great grandparent.

Initiation Rites

Girls and boys are initiated in ceremonies that celebrate them becoming adult

Circa (c.)

Approximately

Rising Sea Levels

When the Ice Age, the Earth warmed, ice melted, and sea levels rose.

The warmer climates allowed First Nations peoples to travel the continent freely once again, however the rising sea levels resulted in people and species being isolated and adapting in different ways.

7 Historical Concepts

Evidence, Cause and Effect, Continuity and Change, Significance, Perspective, Empathy, Contestability

Evidence (7 Historical Concepts)

The information historians use to learn about the past.

Cause and Effect (7 Historical Concepts)

Why something happened → What happened as a result.

Historical events often have multiple causes and effects

Significance (7 Historical Concepts)

The importance of a person, event, or development in history.

Continuity and Change (7 Historical Concepts)

Things that stayed the same, and things that changed over time

Perspectives (7 Historical Concepts)

The way a person or group views an event or issue. People in the past often had different experiences and opinions. Shaped by beliefs, culture, experiences, and values.

Empathy (7 Historical Concepts)

Understanding what life may have been like for people in the past.

It involves understanding:

·         challenges

·         experiences

·         decisions

·         lifestyles

Contestability (7 Historical Concepts)

Historians can disagree about the past. Different historians may interpret evidence differently or have different opinions about events.

This happens because:

·         evidence may be incomplete

·         new discoveries are made

·         Historians have different interpretations

Mungo Man / Mungo Lady

• The oldest known human remains discovered in Australia, dating back approximately 42,000 years

• Prior to these discoveries, it was believed human history in Australia spanned only 15,000 to 20,000 years.

• Found at Lake Mungo in New South Wales

Sorry Business

The period of cultural practices that take place after somebody dies.

World Heritage

Places around the world that have universal value (important to all people, no matter which country they live in), due to their natural beauty, history, or cultural value.

Cultural Heritage

The traditions, languages, buildings, artworks, artefacts and ways of life passed down from earlier generations. It helps us understand a group’s history and identity. Can be tangible (physical things you cannot see), or intangible (cannot touch, oral)

Sacred Sites

Place that has special importance or cultural significance to First Nations Peoples. Is made up of natural features.

The Dreaming

The knowledge, beliefs, and practices that originated from creation stories, which describe how the landforms and life on Earth came into being. It guides the way people live on the land and how to care for it.

Initiation Ceremonies

Ceremonies that initiate girls and boys and celebrate them in becoming adults. They would be initiated when the community thought they were physically and mentally ready to become adults. They had to earn the right to be initiated. Non-indigenous people are not allowed to attend these ceremonies.

Funeral Ceremonies

All aboriginal communities have a deep respect for the dead. Ceremonies are different for each language group. Some societies had different funeral practices for men and women.

Country

The First Nations Term encompassing the land, water, sky, and all living things. Deeply connected to identity and spirit.

Homo Sapiens

The scientific name for humans.

A Latin name meaning “Knowing Man”.

Moiety

An important part of many Aboriginal Australian kinship systems. The word means ‘Half’.

All people, plants, animals, and places, and divided into two groups, or “halves”. A person belongs to one group from birth, and it helps determine rules for relationships, marriage, responsibilities, and cultural roles.