1.1 Human Origins in Africa

Order of hominids

Ardipithecus Ramidus, Australopithecus afarensis, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo neanderthals, Homo sapiens

First hominid

Ardipithecus Ramidus

Second hominid

Australopithecus

Third hominid

Homo habilis

Fourth hominid

Homo erectus

Fifth hominid

Homo neandethals

What are the components of culture?

Common practices, shared understanding, and social organization

Common practices

Food, sports, art style, clothing, tools and work

Shared understanding

Language, religion, and politics

Social organization

Family, class structure, style of government, and economic style

Ardipithecus Ramidus

Lives in trees and ground, less pronounces dagger like canines, narrow pelvis, wrist bends backwards.

Australopithecus afarensis

Hip structure allowed bipedal motion, named Lucy

Homo habilis

More intelligent because of tool use, more human like, larger braincase but smaller face and teeth

Homo erectus

Human-like body proportions

Homo neanderthals

Adapted to cold, larger nose, burial rituals, fairly intelligent, larger brains, used tools fire and built, and interacted with Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens

evolved in Africa now worldwide, largest brain size

What were paleolithic people?

Primarily nomadic and hunter-gatherer society

Nomadic

Move around frequently

What does Paleo mean?

Stone

What tools did Palaeolithic people use? To do what?

Stone and bone; butcher food, harpoons and fish hooks, fire

What was the most important tool in the Paleolithic ages?

Fire

What did they hunt in the Paleolithic ages?

Mainly big mammals such as mammoth, bison, and deer.

What were clothes made out of in the Paleolithic ages?

Animal skin

Art development in the Paleolithic ages

Reflection of values of society; sculpted stones to represent women; cave paintings

What did society value about women in the Paleolithic ages and why?

Pregnancy because it was new life and continued family line

What does neo mean?

New

What does lithic mean?

Tool

What was the Neolithic ages also called?

Agriculture revolution

What was the agriculture revolution?

Cultivation of basic crops, end of ice age

What happened in the Neolithic ages?

Slash & burn farming, domestication of animals

Domestication of animals in the Neolithic ages

Dogs have a good sense of smelling and hearing and provide protection; more animals = more diseases and death

Social organization in the Neolithic ages

Specialization of labor (warriors, farmers, artisans, shaman, cattlers)

Beliefs in the Neolithic ages

Nature gods used to explain the world and ritualized burial

Art in the Neolithic ages

Megalithic monuments

Gobekli Tepe

Purposely buried, only 5% uncovered, shouldn’t exist

Metal Ages economical basis

Agriculture and animal breeding

Metal Ages

Center around village, weapons/tools made of metal, development of carriages, city walls, cremation, social structure of rich/poor, invention of wheel, sail, and plow, jewelry, goldwork, pottery, megalithic monuments

What was needed for job specialization?

A surplus of food

What did job specialization allow and why?

Metal ages to exist because people could focus on creating new things

When did writing appear?

In the Metal Ages

Benefits/disadvantages of civilization?

Protection, large supply of food, trade, vulnerability

Advanced cities benefits in Metal Ages

Population, trade over long distances, markets, art, goods

Specialized workers

Development of skills for specific kind of work

Complex institutions (example)

Government (officials and laws), religion (leaders with religious and political power), education (scribes)

Examples of advanced technology

Irrigation, metal working, weaving, pottery wheel, plates, bowls, jugs.

Main reason of record keeping?

Tax collection

artifact

human made objects that hint at how people dressed, what work they did, and how they worshipped

culture

people’s unique way of life

hominid

humans and other creatures that walk upright

Paleolithic Age

old stone age; invention of tools, mastery over fire, development of language

Neolithic Age

Second phase of stone age; learned to polish stone tools, make pottery, grow crops, and raise animals.

technology

ways of applying knowledge, tools, and inventions o meet their needs

Homo sapiens

species name for modern humans; means wise men

Nomad

highly mobile people who moved from place to place foraging for new sources of food

Hunter-gatherer

nomadic groups whose food supply depends on hunting animals and collecting plants

Neolithic Revolution

agriculture revolution; far-reaching changes in human life resulting from the beginnings of farming

Slash-and-burn farming

farming method that involves cutting trees or grasses and burning them to clear a field

Domestication

Taming (of animals)

Civilization

Complex culture with advanced cities, specialized workers, complex institutions, record keeping, and advanced technology.

Specialization

The development of skills in a specific kind of work

Artisan

skilled workers who make goods by hand

Institution

a long-lasting pattern of organization in a community

Scribe

professional record keepers

Cuneiform

system of writing invented by Sumerian scribes; means wedge-shaped

Bronze Age

time when people began using brozen instead of stone and copper to fashion tools and weapons

Barter

way of trading good and services without money

Ziggurat

pyramid-shaped monument meaning mountain of God; temple