1: From Hunter-Foragers to Settled Societies

Vocabulary and key concepts from Chapter 1 regarding the migration of early humans, the Paleolithic Period, the Neolithic Revolution, and the rise of the first foundational civilizations.

Artifacts

Physical objects made by people in the past, such as chipped stones, jewelry, and religious tokens, used to study prehistoric life.

Homo sapiens sapiens

Modern humans who first appeared in East Africa between $200,000$ and $100,000$ years ago.

Bering Strait

A land bridge, now submerged, that connected northeastern Asia and what is now Alaska during a cooler period when ocean levels fell as much as $400\,feet$.

Paleolithic Period

The early years of human history, beginning $2.5\,million$ years ago and ending about $10,000$ years ago ($8000\,B.C.E.$), often called the Stone Age.

Kinship group

Multiple related families that moved together in search of food, typically consisting of $20$ to $40$ people.

Clan

A larger group of relatives comprising several kinship groups.

Tribe

A large unit formed by multiple clans for purposes of group hunting or mutual defense, often led by chiefs and priests.

Patriarchal

A society dominated by men, common in Paleolithic groups where males took charge of hunts, warfare, and heavy labor.

Animism

The religious belief that elements of nature, such as animals and rivers, embody spirits.

Shamans

The first religious leaders, believed to have special abilities to cure the sick and influence the future.

Neolithic Revolution

A set of dramatic social and political changes starting about $10,000$ years ago ($8000\,B.C.E.$) centered on the development of agriculture.

Agriculture

The practice of raising crops or livestock on a continual and controlled basis.

Surplus

An amount of food produced that is more than the farmers need for themselves, allowing for population growth and job specialization.

Domestication

The process of taming wild animals, such as dogs, goats, and cattle, to live with humans.

Nomadic pastoralism

A way of life based on moving herds of animals from one grazing land to another, often found in grassland regions.

Specialization of labor

The process of allowing people to focus on limited tasks—such as artisans, merchants, or soldiers—rather than producing food.

Writing

A development first used to keep records of trades and tax payments, marking the transition from prehistory to history.

Social stratification

The emergence of socioeconomic classes where some people accumulated more wealth or power than others.

Jericho

One of humankind's first cities, built on the west bank of the Jordan River with evidence of settlement dating to $9000\,B.C.E.$

Catal Huyuk

An ancient city in present-day Turkey founded in $7500\,B.C.E.$ along a river that has since dried up.

Monotheism

The practice of worshiping only one deity, notably emerged with the Hebrews under Abraham.

Zoroastrianism

A religion inspired by the teacher Zoroaster in what is now Iran, focusing on the battle between good and evil.

Metallurgy

The science of studying and working with metals, replacing stone tools with metal ones.

Bronze Age

The period, generally between $3300$ and $2300\,B.C.E.$, characterized by the use of bronze—a mixture of tin and copper.

Civilization

A large society with cities and powerful states that grew out of the Neolithic Revolution.

Core and foundational civilizations

The first six civilizations—Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, Shang China, Olmecs, and Chavín—that heavily influenced successor cultures.