Splash Screen
Chapter Intro
Chapter Intro
Chapter Trans
Section 1
• Prehistory is the time before writing was developed.
• Archaeology is the study of past societies through the analysis of artifacts such as tools, weapons, art, buildings.
• Anthropology is the study of human life and culture.
• Anthropologists use artifacts and fossils to create a picture of peoples’ everyday lives.
Before History (cont.)
Section 1
• Methods of dating fossils and artifacts:
– Radiocarbon dating
– Thermo-luminescence
– Microscopic and biological analysis
Before History (cont.)
Archaeological Finds
Section 1
• Hominids are the earliest humanlike creatures that first appeared in Africa four million years ago and slowly changed over time.
Early Development (cont.)
Section 1
– Homo erectus:
• “upright human”
• lived 1.8 million to 100,000 years ago
• first hominid to have arms and legs in modern human proportion
• probably the first to leave Africa
Early Development (cont.)
Section 1
– Homo sapiens:
• “wise human”
• lived around 100,000 to 200,000 years ago
• rapid brain growth
• mastered fire
Early Development (cont.)
Section 1
– Neanderthals
• descended from Homo sapiens
• lived around 100,000 years ago to 30,000 years ago
• made clothes from animal skins and buried their dead
Early Development (cont.)
Section 1
– Homo sapiens sapiens:
• “wise, wise human”
• also descended from Homo sapiens
• appeared in Africa between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago
• first to have modern anatomy
Early Development (cont.)
Section 1
• The Paleolithic Age refers to the early period of history when humans used stone tools.
• Paleolithic people were hunter-gatherers who lived a nomadic lifestyle. They made tools, clothing, shelter, and fire.
• The roles of men and women were probably considered equal due to the division of labor.
• Paleolithic – means “Old Stone”
The Paleolithic Age (cont.)