Humanities - year 7 term 3

what is history?

 

It is the study of people, events and societies from the past. Historians use evidence such as artefacts, documents, buildings and written accounts to learn what happened and why it matters today.

what is prehistory?

Prehistory is the period of time before people developed writing. Evidence such as fossils, human remains, stone tools, cave paintings and ancient campsites help us learn about prehistoric times.

what is the importance of history?

history helps generations learn from the past and move forwards.

what is Sunda and Sahul?

As sea levels fell during the Ice Age, large areas of land that are now underwater became exposed. This created two enormous landmasses known as Sunda and Sahul.

what countries did Sunda connect?

the landmass of Sunda connected Mainland Asia, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and Borneo.

what countries did Sahul connect?

the landmass of Sahul connected Australia, Tasmania and new guinea.

what evidence has been found at lake mungo?

Thousands of artefacts and other remains have been discovered at lake mungo, including shell middens, fireplaces, stone tools, fossilised footprints and human remains.

what is a primary source?

Primary sources were created during the time being studied. They provide direct evidence from the past. this includes Photographs, Diaries, Letters and buildings.

what is a secondary source?

Secondary sources are created after an event, explaining, analyzing, or interpreting primary sources. Examples include textbooks, documentaries, and websites.

explain human evolution.

Humans did not suddenly appear. Modern humans developed over millions of years through a process called evolution. Evolution is the gradual change of living things over long periods of time. 

explain an important archaeological site.

An important site is madjedbebe in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, showing human habitation in Australia over 65,000 years ago.

explain the discovery of the mungo woman.

In 1969, Dr. Jim Bowler found human bone fragments in sand dunes near Lake Mungo, later identified as belonging to a young woman.

explain the discovery of the mungo man.

in 1974, Dr Jim Bowler noticed part of a human skull emerging from the sand. the remains of a man were uncovered who is now known as the mungo man.

what did the mungo woman and man reveal about Australia’s past?

The discoveries of Mungo Woman and Mungo Man provided that Aboriginal peoples had lived in Australia far longer than previously thought, and revealed sophisticated cultural and spiritual practices that existed tens of thousands of years ago.  

explain the multi-regional theory.

This theory suggested that modern humans evolved separately in different parts of the world from earlier populations of Homo erectus. 

explain the out of Africa theory.

this theory suggests that Modern humans first evolved in Africa, and Homo sapiens later migrated out of Africa. Today, most scientists support the Out of Africa Theory as it is supported by fossil and DNA evidence.  

Explain human migration between Sunda and Sahul, and why this was a remarkable achievement.

it was a remarkable achievement as humans had to cross a deep-water channel called the Wallace line, meaning that they planned journeys, worked together, understood their environment, and had advanced problem-solving skills.

how did humans cross the Wallace line?

Scientists believe early humans used simple watercraft such as rafts, dugout canoes or bamboo boats.

Australopithecus

lived 4 - 2 million years ago and walked upright for short periods.

homo habilis

lived 2.4 - 1.5 million years ago and made simple stone tools.

homo erectus

lived 1.8 million to 150 000 years ago, used fire and migrated beyond africa.

neanderthals

lived 400,000 to 40,000, were skilled hunters who lived in Europe and western Asia.

homo sapiens

lived from 300,000 years ago, were modern humans with advanced language and tech.